A curriculum to train dental and dental hygiene students in dental public health

Using an evaluative process, a curriculum committee of DPH experts identified major themes and dental public health (DPH) curriculum areas for the previously developed 8 set of DPH competencies. DPH themes included: 1) Ethical reasoning 2) Cultural competency 3) Critical evaluation of literature 4) Social and health care systems 5) Evidence based dentistry 6) Promoting health and control of oral diseases 7) Prevention of oral diseases 8) Patient care and quality improvement 9) Research methodology 10) Communication 11) Collaboration 12) Oral health advocacy 13) Oral and systemic health connection 14) Professional growth and leadership 15) Lifelong learning 16) Principles of dental public health 17) Inter-professional care 18) Financial program planning 19) Individual and population level motivational interviewing 20) Service learning 21) Determinants of health, and 22) Risk or needs assessment. A subset of the committee refined the 22 themes into five curriculum areas: 1) Principles of Dental Public Health 2) Evidence Based Dentistry 3) DPH Ethics 4) Policy, advocacy and inter-professional care 5) Prevention and oral health promotion. After a review of available curricula in dental and dental hygiene schools, course modules and student activities are developed for each area.