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Unit information: Clinical Oral Surgery in 2024/25

Unit name Clinical Oral Surgery
Unit code ORDSM0020
Credit points 20
Level of study M/7
Teaching block(s) Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24)
Unit director Dr. Gormley
Open unit status Not open
Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units)

No pre-requisite units, however you must:

1. Formally undertake acceptance of compliance and commitment to observe code of conduct as stipulated by the University of Bristol.

2. Formally undertake acceptance of compliance and commitment to clinical work as stipulated by University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW).

3. Must be eligible and obtain temporary or permanent registration with the General Dental Council (GDC) and remain registered. You must notify teaching and relevant Trust staff of any change in your registration status or of any investigations undertaken by the GDC.

Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units)

None

Units you may not take alongside this one

None

School/department Bristol Dental School
Faculty Faculty of Health Sciences

Unit Information

Why is this unit important?

This Unit of Teaching will be offered as a compulsory unit as part of the Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Oral Surgery.

This unit has the following aims:

  • To provide the knowledge and attitudes required for the practice of clinical oral surgery.
  • To develop your skills in providing clinical oral surgery.

How does this unit fit into your programme of study?

This unit facilitates the clinical training component of the course, whereby you will put the theoretical and simulated experience from Surgical Skills 1 and 2 units into practice.

Your learning on this unit

An overview of content

This unit will deliver the clinical training component of the course, whereby knowledge and simulated skills obtained from earlier units (Surgical Skills 1 and 2) are put into practice.

How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit

You will feel more confident in your assessment, planning and management of oral surgery patients in clinical practice. You will work as part of a multidisciplinary team to deliver high quality oral surgery care for patients.

Learning Outcomes

You will obtain a knowledge and understanding of the following:

  • Medical, legal and ethical issues surrounding oral surgery procedures
  • Critical thinking and ability to appraise relevant literature and practice evidence-based oral surgery
  • The importance of communication skills and a caring approach in the management of oral surgery patients
  • Working effectively as part of a dental team to safely manage oral surgery patients

You will acquire the skills and attributes necessary to:

  • Diagnose and treatment plan oral surgery cases
  • Use of appropriate cross infection control measures and personal protective equipment
  • Deliver effective local anaesthesia using appropriate techniques for oral surgery procedures
  • Perform removal of erupted teeth, including routine extractions, appropriate level third molar teeth and retained roots
  • Manage a range of post-operative complications associated with oral surgery procedures
  • Communicate effective post-operative advice following an oral surgery procedure
  • Describe how to treatment plan more complex oral surgery cases
  • Reflection on how the learning acquired in the programme can be applied to your own workplace

How you will learn

Teaching will use a blended learning approach delivered through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous activities. You will be expected to engage with all learning.

A range of teaching are used in the unit including:

  • Self-directed computer-aided learning (CAL) sessions via the virtual learning environment (Blackboard), providing the necessary materials and references to attain knowledge.
  • Face-to-face clinical contact days with a specialist team in the Oral Surgery department at Bristol Dental Hospital
  • A reflective case report assignment to enhance knowledge
  • A written examination e-Assessment to test knowledge from online learning, study and contact days.

How you will be assessed

Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):

You will obtain broad experience of oral surgery patient assessment and treatment clinics. During this clinical training, it is to be expected some cases may not go as planned and there may be significant learning from these experiences.

Formative learning will come through unsuccessful or challenging cases and learning points will be discussed with clinical supervisors on a case-by-case basis which can also be recorded as a written reflection in your clinical portfolio. You will reflect upon each case in a clinical logbook, which will be reviewed and validated by supervising staff with written formative feedback given.

Example assignments/questions will be provided with the opportunity to discuss them with a tutor will prepare you for the end of unit knowledge assessment.

Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):

  • Reflective case report (50%)
  • A final written examination e-Assessment (50%)
  • Validated clinical portfolio (Must pass)
  • Structured workplace-based Directly Observed Procedural Skills (DOPS) assessments will be completed on selected cases, with a minimum of two satisfactory DOPS to be completed (Must pass)

Attendance is compulsory at a minimum of five clinical days which will take place in the Oral Surgery department at Bristol Dental Hospital.

When assessment does not go to plan

If you do not pass the unit, you will normally be given the opportunity to take a reassessment as per the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes. Decisions on the award of reassessment will normally be taken after all taught units of the year have been completed. Reassessment will normally be in a similar format to the original assessment that has been failed.

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. ORDSM0020).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.

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