Foundation Certificate in Oral Health Education

Course of study
Aims of the programme
Entrance requirements and application procedure
Teaching methods utilised for each module
Contact

 

The Department has been providing high quality training for Dental Care Professionals for over twenty five years; this well established programme has recently been updated for those wishing to develop their potential as oral health promoters, or further their careers in other dental clinical disciplines.

Many past students who have successfully passed the Certificate in Oral Health Education have progressed onto taking up positions as oral health promoters within community environments; other individuals have remained in their general dental practice environments and have found greater fulfilment in their everyday life. Many successful graduates have utilised the skills and knowledge gained to progress onto further study to become clinical members of the dental team, such as studying dental hygiene and therapy.

Course of study

Oral Health improvement is concerned with addressing the determinants of oral health in order to reduce disease inequalities through influencing individuals’, communities’ and populations’ behavioural patterns so as to maintain a disease free oral cavity. Oral Health is an essential component of overall health, and as such is of vital importance in maintaining one's general well being.

Outline of the Programme

The Foundation Certificate is a modular programme designed to ensure flexibility and the opportunity of undertaking verifiable continuing professional development while undertaking full time employment within dentistry. This programme requires attendance on a monthly basis for 12 months. There is no final examination, and as all coursework undertaken contributes to the final grade, this allows the student to ‘take ownership’ for their own studying and the final awarding grade.

The programme extends over 12 months of part-time study and consists of 2 compulsory modules both comprising a significant distance learning component. These are:

Module 1: Oral Health Education (15 credits at Level 3)

This core module is designed around six related units of study supported by linked assessments. Emphasis is placed on gaining related experience and study outside of the University which forms a significant aspect of this module. This module focuses on oral health improvement activities, specifically involving education methods, skills and techniques. It is designed to build on existing dental and general health knowledge of clinical prevention by approaching oral health from a broader societal view, rather than purely from a standpoint of individual risk factors and disease.

Module 2: Oral Health Promotion (15 credits at Level 3)

This core module is designed around six related units of study supported by linked assessments. The module supports students in order to develop their own oral health improvement interventions and programmes. It aims to encourage initiative and creativity through the practical and written assignments. This module focuses on oral health improvement from a broad public health perspective. It is designed to build on the existing knowledge and skills required for oral health education by exploring the determinants of oral and general health and inequalities in society. Evidence, theory and quality of oral health improvement practice are strong themes running throughout this module.

Aims of the programme

The general aims of the programme offered are to:

  • provide a programme that covers all aspects of oral health education and promotion, which will enable members of the dental team to take a leading role in the provision of oral health improvement
  • provide a recognised certificated course that will have currency within the various branches of dentistry & public health and strengthen and broaden the preventative roles of dental care professionals.
  • facilitate the updating of information as and when required and to keep abreast of the developments in dentistry, public health and health policies related to health and oral health.
  • facilitate students to develop their analytical skills and self motivation in areas of study or research
  • promote students to invest and contribute to the development of their chosen profession through improvement in oral health

Teaching methods utilised for each module

Staff-led seminars (40 hours): A series of seminars is used to provide essential background and practical information on evidence based oral health improvement.

Work based learning and practice (20 hrs): You will need to undertake work based learning enabling your development of communication skills, teamwork, reasoning, and critical appraisal skills.

Independent study (90 hrs): The teaching and learning methods are supported by independent study, which may involve note taking and preparing to contribute to teaching sessions on top of your normal workload, some reflection time following up on aspects that become apparent through the work based learning environment, and pursuing topics that are relevant to the role of an oral health promoter but may not be covered formally in course material. It is difficult to quantify how much time each individual will need to spend preparing prior for each day of teaching but you should expect to spend more time reading around the subject than at teaching sessions. You are encouraged to make full use of the opportunities presented by having access to the facilities of the University.

Entrance requirements and application procedure

  1. All applicants must be at least 18 years of age at the start of the programme
  2. Must a hold a registrable dental qualification
  3. 12 months post qualification experience is preferred
  4. IELTS score of 7 or higher (if English is not your first language)
  5. A work-based mentor is required who can support you undertaking this programme. This may be a registered and/or qualified dental professional (e.g. dentist) or Dental Care Professional (DCP) and is likely to be your employer.

Contact

For additional information, please contact:

The Administrator
Centre for Dental Care Professionals
2 Newark Street
Whitechapel
London E1 2AT
email: dcp.admissions@qmul.ac.uk