Community Dentistry

The Department of Community Dentistry, which includes the oral hygiene unit, is involved with the diagnosis, prevention and control of dental diseases. As a discipline, or specialty of dentistry, Community Dentistry deals with the community and its aggregate dental or oral health challenges rather than that of the individual patient.The teaching program focuses on the philosophy, principles and practice of Oral and Dental Epidemiology, Dental Public Health, Oral Health Promotion, Health Care System, regulation and Evaluation. Particular consideration is placed on the environmental, social and behavioural influences on the oral health of the population and the availability of effective and efficient services to improve dental health. The goals of programs are to equip students to critically appraise literature, expose them to philosophy and methodology in health promotion, prevention, and epidemiology. Students will be skilled to plan, conduct, monitor and evaluate public health programs in various settings; to contribute to the scientific basis of public health programs through the conduct of applied research in order to improve the health of the public; be enabled to provide leadership and management of oral heath institutions, understand public policy issues, organization and administration related to dentistry. The programs provide dental students, dental therapy students and oral hygiene students with both clinical and health promotion experiences in community-based settings.

The modules offered in Community Dentistry are underpinned by a strong Service Learning pedagogy; which as an experiential and collaborative learning methodology seeks to inculcate a sense of civic responsibility, moral and ethical growth, meaningful community involvement, lifelong learning and service.

Research interest areas include health system performance evaluation, human resource for health, tobacco control, health promotion and dental education research.