Academic Catalog

D H 326B: COMMUNITY DENTAL HEALTH II

Foothill College Course Outline of Record

Foothill College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Fall 2026
Units: 2
Hours: 2 lecture, 1 laboratory per week (36 total per quarter)
Advisory: Not open to students with credit in D H 58B or 63D.
Degree & Credit Status: Degree-Applicable Credit Course
Foothill GE: Non-GE
Transferable: CSU
Grade Type: Letter Grade Only
Repeatability: Not Repeatable

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Create 2-3 specific, measurable and equitable learning objectives for each assigned program goal, demonstrating alignment with SMART criteria. Objectives will be evaluated using a standardized rubric, a score of 75% or higher will be considered passing.
  • Design 1-2 program goals for their community dental health projects, focusing on improving oral health outcomes, access to care, or health education. Goals will be evaluated based on clarity, feasibility, measurable and equitable outcomes using a standardized grading rubric. A score of 75% or higher will be considered passing.

Description

Second in the series of three courses in community dental health for dental hygiene students. This course explores the roles of local, state, and federal dental public health services in oral health promotion and access to care for diverse populations. Dental public health initiatives, including fluoridation, school-based dental health screenings, sealant and fluoride varnish clinics, and tobacco cessation programs, will be covered. Evidence-based decision making will be applied to address health disparities and promote equitable dental public health outcomes. Intended for students in the Dental Hygiene Baccalaureate Degree Program; enrollment is limited to students accepted in the program.

Course Objectives

The student will be able to:

  1. Describe the key characteristics of a successful oral health program that is designed to meet the oral health needs of the target populations.
  2. Design an evidence-based, culturally responsive oral health program based on the needs of an identified target population.
  3. Differentiate between various health care delivery systems, assessing their accessibility, affordability, and effectiveness for diverse populations.
  4. Apply ethical principles and legal concepts in dental public health practice to support ethical, inclusive, and equitable health care across communities.

Course Content

  1. Oral public health programs
    1. Oral Health in America: Advances and Challenges
      1. Primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention
      2. Dental education programs
      3. Fluoride varnish programs
      4. School-based sealant programs
      5. Smokeless tobacco cessation programs
    2. Fluoride
      1. Community water fluoridation
      2. Professionally applied fluoride varnish
      3. Over-the-counter fluoride products
      4. Prescription fluorides
  2. Components of dental public health programs
    1. Identify a dental health problem
      1. Target population demographics
        1. Age
        2. Ethnicity
        3. Culture
        4. Education
        5. Socioeconomic status
    2. Needs assessment methods
      1. Survey
      2. Questionnaire
      3. Interview
    3. Goals and objectives for a community dental health program
      1. Elements of public health goals
      2. Learning domains
        1. Cognitive
        2. Affective
        3. Psychomotor
      3. Components of an objective
        1. Audience
        2. Behavior
        3. Condition when learning takes place
        4. Degree of change
    4. Lesson planning
      1. Learning models
        1. Gagne's events of learning
        2. 5E model of learning
      2. Types of program interventions
        1. Educational
        2. Direct service
        3. Organizational
        4. Power
      3. Types of program activities
        1. Direct
        2. Indirect
      4. Learning materials
    5. Program evaluation
      1. Purpose of evaluation
      2. Formative and summative evaluations
      3. Accountability to stakeholders
      4. Methods 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
    6. Budget for the proposed program
      1. In-kind support
      2. Equipment
      3. Personnel expenses
      4. Materials needed
  3. Oral health care delivery systems
    1. Different health care delivery systems
      1. Private practice
      2. Medical corporation
      3. Federal and state programs
    2. Methods for financing health care
      1. Insurance based
      2. Government assistance
        1. Medicaid
        2. Denti-Cal
        3. Medicare
        4. State children's health insurance program
        5. Head start program
      3. Non-profit
  4. Ethical principles and legal concepts in public health research
    1. Informed consent
    2. Acceptable standards of care
    3. Cultural sensitivity

Lab Content

Students will fulfill field work (lab hour) requirements by engaging in various community outreach projects, including educating a diverse range of socioeconomic populations on oral health and related topics and participating in school-based dental screenings. Students will select and assess a target population, identify needs of the target population, and develop a community dental health program based on the identified needs. Students will provide their intervention to the target population.

Special Facilities and/or Equipment

1. Materials to create visual aids, interactive games, and worksheets to provide oral health education to the community.
2. When taught as an online course, access to computer with email software and hardware; email address.

Method(s) of Evaluation

Methods of Evaluation may include but are not limited to the following:

Written report on community dental health project: literature review and oral health program proposal
Midterm examination
Final examination
National Board Case Studies

Method(s) of Instruction

Methods of Instruction may include but are not limited to the following:

Lecture
Discussion
Field work

Representative Text(s) and Other Materials

Beatty, Christine. Community Oral Health Practice for the Dental Hygienist, 5th ed.. 2022.

Types and/or Examples of Required Reading, Writing, and Outside of Class Assignments

  1. Reading assignment: scientific journal article on oral health programs.
  2. Community service assignment: group participation in community oral health education programs and school-based dental screenings.
  3. Writing assignment: community dental health project, including a review of current and historical literature covering a dental public health problem.
  4. Group project: development of a dental public health program that addresses needs/problems discussed in literature review, including identification and needs assessment of an identified population and development and implementation of the oral health program based on needs of identified population.

Discipline(s)

Dental Technology