Certificate in Oral Health Education
Oral Health Education
Aims
Entrance requirements and application procedure
Course structure
Units of Study
Course staff
Career pathway
Contact
Oral Health Education is concerned with influencing an individual's, or on a broader scale, a community's behavioural pattern, to maintain a mouth free from disease. Oral health is an essential component of overall health and as such is of vital importance in maintaining one's well being.
This programme provides valuable opportunities to extend learning through a collaborative approach with a variety of health care providers. Practical assignments and furthering the student's own knowledge base by linked academic assignments forms the majority of the course.
The course is well established and is validated by Queen Mary, University of London.
Acknowledging the need for lifelong learning, the aims of this programme are to provide learning opportunities and experiences that allow students to:
- Develop knowledge of the provision of oral health education
- Develop academic and practical skills in relation to promoting oral health
- Experience and promote the role of oral health education in primary and secondary care environments
- Develop reflective skills to evaluate personal and professional growth
- Deepen personal and professional development
Entrance requirements and application procedure
Applicants must be a qualified member of the dental team and should have worked for at least one year in general practice, hospital or community. As students only meet monthly with the department, they would benefit from having support by a mentor from the students place of work; these mentors should be prepared to provide the opportunity for the student to undertake oral health education within their environment and support them in carrying out projects and assignments.
Shortlisting for interview is based on the written applications; written applications must be submitted by 1st June of the year in which the course starts.
This course is part-time over 12 months and commences each October. Students are expected to attend on the 1st Saturday each month, and will be given a monthly-based research assignment to complete. To assist learning and reflection, class sizes are small, promoting effective student support, interaction and mentoring.
Students undertake all Units of Study:
- Planning for Health Promotion & Education- learning styles, planning, presenting, evaluation, assessment
- Communication Skills: Putting Theory into Practice- verbal and non-verbal, Social & Economic Aspects of Health- challenges and barriers relating to attitudes, class, gender, ethnicity, economics in relation to oral health
- Biological Aspects of Oral Health & Disease- knowledge of oral structures and diseases providing a deeper understanding of these aspects
- Provision of Oral Health Care in the UK- local and national issues relating to provision of care
- Disease Prevention, Health Education & Promotion- how does oral health promotion fit in to healthcare?
- Principles of Health Education- putting the messages across to the public
- Care of the Dependent Patient- provision of care within a residential unit
- Nutrition, Diet & Food Policy- policy documents, analysis of the effects of diet on oral and general health
- Oral Health & The Mass Media- impact of radio, television etc on oral health
- Oral Health & Special Needs- types, provision, challenges and barriers
- Oral Health: Theory into Practice- presenting short presentations on a specific area to a group of health professionals
Charlotte Jeavons co-ordinates the Certificate programme and teaches a number of Units of Study of the course. She is an experienced Tutor with vast work within Oral Health Promotion and Education. She is actively involved with oral health at a national and local level, currently being Secretary of the South-East Oral Health Promotion Group. Charlotte is supported by a team of professionals who are themselves engaged in the provision of oral health education and care, either as teachers or clinicians.
Many past students who have successfully passed the Certificate in Oral Health have progressed onto taking up positions as Oral Health Promoters with community environments or training to become dental hygienists or therapists. Some past students continue to work in general dental practice and gain greater fulfilment in their everyday life.
For additional information, please contact:
Charlotte Jeavons
Oral Health Education Course Co-ordinator,
The Centre for Dental Care Professionals
2 Newark Street,
Whitechapel
London E1 2AT
Tel: 020 7882 8151
Fax: 020 7882 7244
email: c.a.jeavons@qmul.ac.uk