Unit information: Health Sciences: Oral Biology Year 3 in 2012/13

Unit name	Health Sciences: Oral Biology Year 3
Unit code	ORDS30001
Credit points	10
Level of study	H/6
Teaching block(s)	Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52)
Unit director	Dr. Donaldson
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	Bristol Dental School
Faculty	Faculty of Health Sciences

Description including Unit Aims

The Teaching Unit comprises three themes delivered in year 3 of the BDS programme. They are as follows:

Year 3: Themes 9, 10, 11& library project

Oral Biology themes:

9. Tooth development

10. Orofacial motor function

11. Age changes in oral and dental tissues

The Units of Oral Biology deliver specialised teaching of anatomy, biochemistry, microbiology and physiology relating to the oral environment. Teaching is divided into eleven themes. These are delivered by both clinically and scientifically qualified staff with emphasis on relating scientific knowledge to the clinical condition at times appropriate for clinical activities within years 2 and 3 of the programme. An understanding of the situation both in health and the more common oral diseases is gained.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Students should obtain a knowledge and understanding of the following:

• The tissues and organs of the body at the molecular, cellular, physiological and anatomical levels such that the student can appreciate the integration of function in the body, be aware of how pathological processes and injury may compromise such function and have sufficient knowledge of the broader aspects of the biology of the body where they impact upon and influence the delivery of dental and oral healthcare.

• The biology of the oral and dental tissues, at the molecular, cellular, physiological and anatomical levels such that the student has a good appreciation of normal physiological function in the oral cavity, can recognize when this is compromised and is able to use their knowledge and understanding both to diagnose abnormal function and to underpin their subsequent treatment planning.

• The scientific basis of dentistry, the mechanisms of knowledge acquisition, scientific method and evaluation of evidence such that the student is capable of evaluating and appraising information both during their life-long training and within clinical practice.

The student should acquire the skills and attributes necessary for:

• Applying and extending the knowledge and principles taught in Year 1 medical bioscience subjects and to provide an introduction to oral biology with emphasis on its relevance to clinical dentistry.
• Extended integration of basic and applied science as related to oral health, disease and therapeutics.
• Integrated learning opportunities on the structure, functions and distributions of the oral tissues in the normal state.
• Investigative and evaluative reading and summary writing of scientific and clinical literature.

As a consequence of this learning, the student will have:

• Overview of dental & oral tissues and their inter-relationships (Themes 1, 3, 6, 8, 9, 10,11)
• Composition, structure/function relationships of dental and periodontal tissues, fluoride substitution of dental tissues and appreciation of both tooth crown and root canal morphologies (Themes 3, 6, 8, 9)
• Embryological development of the craniofacial area (Themes 1, 6, 9).
• Development of teeth and their supporting tissues, dentinogenesis, amelogenesis, cementogenesis and periodontal development (Themes 3, 6, 8, 9)
• Tissue turnover and regeneration in the oral cavity (Themes 1, 3, 6, 9, 11)
• Tooth eruption, movement, resorption and exfoliation. Implants. (Themes 8, 9)
• Temporomandibular joint, mastication and occlusion, suckling, deglutition and speech (Theme 10)
• Periodontal disease – molecular aspects (Themes 1, 4, 6, 11).

Teaching Information

Lectures

Practicals/Lab Classes

Tutorials

Problem solving class

Lab Classes

Assessment Information

Summative Assessments:

Paper 1

e-Assessment – 1 ½ hours in total (This exam contributes to 60% of the Unit mark).

Paper 2

1800 word library project report (This exam contributes to 40% of the Unit mark).

Reading and References

Anatomy/histology

Berkovitz BKB, Holland GR, Moxham BJ. Oral Anatomy; Histology and Embryology, 3rd Edition, ISBN: 0723431817.

Ten Cate AR, Oral Histology: Development and Structure, 5th Edition, ISBN: 0815129521.

Biochemistry

Ferguson DB (1999). Oral Bioscience, Churchill Livingstone.Marsh PD, Martin MV (1999) Oral Microbiology, 4th Edition. Chapman and Hall.

Microbiology

Bagg J, Macfarlane TW, Poxton IR, Smith AJ (2005). Essentials of Microbiology for Dental Students, 2nd Edn. Oxford.

Marsh PD, Martin MV (2009) Oral Microbiology, 5th Edn. Chapman and Hall.

Lamont RJ and Jenkinson HF (2010) Oral Microbiology at a Glance, 1st Edn. Wiley-Blackwell.

Pathology

Cawson RA & Odell EW (2002). Essentials of Oral Pathology and Oral Medicine, 7th edition.

Kidd EAM (2005). Essentials of Dental Caries, 3rd edition. Oxford.

Physiology

Miles TS, Nauntoft B, Svensson P (2004). Clinical Oral Physiology, Quintessence Publishing Co. Ltd. (not recommended for purchase, but good backup text)