The student will be able to:
A. Describe successful public health programs.
B. Identify dental health problems and develop programs to address those problems.
C. Discuss research on a dental public health topic.
D. Differentiate between health care delivery systems.
E. Understand and apply the principles of law and ethics to the practice of dental public health.

A. Public health programs (Lec)
1. Public health programs which exist at the federal, state, and local levels
a. Dental sealant programs in schools
b. Fluoride varnish programs
c. Dental educational programs
2. Community water fluoridation and other forms of fluoridation including: cost and efficiency of each of these methods of fluoridation
a. Water fluoridation
b. Fluoride varnish
c. OTC fluoride products
d. Supplemental fluoride drops
3. Primary, secondary and tertiary prevention
4. Participate in dental screenings at elementary schools with underserved populations, using dental indices and other epidemiologic tools to measure oral health in a population
5. Develop an oral health education program and provide oral health information to developmentally delayed teens
B. Developing dental public health programs (Lec)
1. Identify a dental health problem and develop a dental health program that includes:
a. Characteristics of an acceptable target group
1) Age
2) Socioeconomic status
3) Cultural
4) Ethnicity
5) Educational level
b. Methods (survey, questionnaire and interview) to assess the dental needs of a target group, including: oral health status, knowledge and attitudes toward dental health and dental treatment needs
c. Goals and objectives for a community dental health program based on review of the literature
1) Elements of public health goals
a) Definition of good goal writing
b) Examples of goals
2) Learning domain of an objective including: cognitive, affective and psychomotor
a) Audience
b) Behavior
c) Condition when learning takes place
d) Degree of change
d. Lesson plan to present information to target group
1) Gagne's events of instruction
a) Gain attention
b) Inform student of objectives
c) Stimulate recall of prior learning
d) Present content
e) Learning guidance
f) Practice new behavior
g) Feedback
h) Performance assessment
i) Retention of information
2) Types of program interventions
a) Educational
b) Direct service
c) Organizational
d) Power
3) Types of program activities
a) Direct
b) Indirect
4) Learning materials
e. Program evaluation
1) Purpose of evaluation
2) Formative and summative evaluations
3) Accountability to stakeholders
f. Method of evaluation
1) Post program only
2) Pre and post program
3) Pre and post program with a comparison group
4) Pre and post program with a control group
g. Budget for the proposed program
1) In-kind support
2) Equipment
3) Personnel expenses
4) Materials needed
h. Effective oral health programs
1) Fluoride varnish programs
2) Dental sealants
3) Smokeless tobacco cessation
C. Discuss research on a dental public health topic
1. Discuss relevant research on a dental public health topic in a literature review paper, emphasizing similarities and differences between research studies and introduce proposal of a dental health program to address that topic
D. Health care delivery systems (Lec)
1. Different health care delivery systems available in the United States
a. Private practice
b. Medical corporation
c. Federal and state programs
1) California Cares
2. Methods for financing health care and discuss the interrelationship between method of payment and treatment rendered
a. Insurance based
b. Government assistance
1) Medicaid
2) Medi-Cal
3) Medicare
4) State children's health insurance program
5) Head start program
c. Non-profit
1) Apple Tree Dental
E. Law and ethics (Lec)
1. Maintain a high degree of professional ethics and conduct interactions with the community, patients, faculty, and fellow classmates
2. Provide informed consent for participants in oral health programs
3. Apply ethical research practices when assessing and collecting data from participants in oral health programs
4. Maintain the need for consistently performing all phases of the dental hygiene process to acceptable standards of care
5. Exhibit sensitivity to individual's emotions, needs, rights and comforts with emphasis on the influence of cultural, psychosocial and other factors

Students will fulfill lab hours (or requirements) by engaging in various community outreach projects including educating underserved populations (including developmentally delayed teens, children enrolled in migrant education, and children in lower socioeconomic areas) on oral health and related topics and participating in school-based dental screenings.

Written report on community dental health project: literature review and oral health program proposal
Journal article critique and oral presentation
Midterm examination
Final examination
National Board Case Studies
Reflection on community service

Lecture
Discussion
Field work
Oral presentations
Community service

Nathe, Christine. Dental Public Health & Research, 4th ed.. 2017.

Brennan, Christian. Community Dental Health Course Manual. 2020.

A. Reading assignment: 12 page scientific journal article on a oral health programs.
B. Community service assignment: group participation in community outreach programs (providing oral health education to underserved populations) and school-based dental screenings.
C. Writing assignment: community dental health project; 10-15 page paper including a review of current and historical literature covering a dental public health problem. Development of a dental public health program that addresses needs/problems discussed in literature review.