DEN 104 Dental Health Education

Lecture: 2 Lab: 2 Clinic: 0 Credits: 3

This course covers the study of preventive dentistry to prepare dental assisting students for the role of dental health educator. Topics include etiology of dental diseases, preventive procedures, and patient education theory and practice. Upon completion, students should be able to demonstrate proficiency in patient counseling and oral health instruction in private practice or public health settings.

This is a diploma-level course.

Course is typically offered in Spring.
Course has transfer restrictions - No DEN courses will be transferred in unless student has earned a Dental Assisting Diploma.

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
At the completion of the course, the students should be able to do the following:

Analyze the principles of etiology and the prevention of dental disease through the presentation of health education materials and written tests.
Design oral healthcare instruction specific to the patient’s conditions when given a mock patient case.
Demonstrate competence in selective coronal polishing, application of sealants and application of topical fluorides when given a simulated clinical situation assessed through a skills evaluation.
Appraise individual nutritional status by keeping food diary through the use of an appropriate software tracking system and self-evaluation.
Construct age appropriate oral health promotion and oral health communication presentations for two outside entities as assessed by the grading rubric for oral health education projects.
Demonstrate competence in the assessment of unique dental health concerns of special population groups through an oral presentation and development of patient flyer to be evaluated by a guided rubric.