Community Dentistry

INTRODUCTION

Community Dentistry is the specialty of dentistry that concerns the promotion of oral health, the prevention of oral disease and the provision and administration of oral health and dental care services in defined populations and communities. Community Dentistry is a basic science subject taught in the Second Professional year of BDS. The main purpose of the subject is to achieve good oral hygiene & to spread health awareness in the public through organized community efforts.

This course aims to stimulate interest and to encourage a questioning approach to community dental health issues and their relationship to clinical practice. The curriculum provides the student with a broad range of knowledge and practical experience in the philosophy and basis of dental public health, primary health care approach, an introduction to epidemiology of oral diseases as it relates to dental research, behavioral sciences, biostatistics and oral health services.

RATIONALE

This subject is essential to the practice of dentistry as it promotes an understanding of the sociology of oral health, oral health promotion and provision of oral health care and puts it into context within society and seeks to answer questions at a population level.

This subject aims to achieve the oral health of the population through the practice of evidence based dentistry. It helps in Identifying factors which cause disease &also helps in Identifying factors or conditions that can be used or modified to prevent the occurrence of disease.