Dental Public Health

Course details

The aim of this postgraduate course is to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to lead and support the development of dental public health nationally and internationally.

Dental public health is the science of preventing oral diseases, promoting oral health and improving the quality of life through organised efforts. It concerns not only actions directed at populations as a whole, but also at the groups and inpiduals that make up populations.

Highly-trained public health specialists are required in Ireland and abroad to tackle issues such as health inequalities; their causes and solutions; communicable diseases; oral health; obesity; smoking and international health development.

The MSc Dental Public Health is an innovative course designed to offer multi-disciplinary academic and experiential development. 

The course emphasises:

• student-directed learning
• multi-disciplinary teaching and learning
• problem solving
• skills training
• flexibility

Course Details

The following modules are taken as part of the course:

• Principles and Practice of Public Health
• Applied Research for Public Health
• Public Health Informatics
• Leadership in Public Health
• Decision Analysis and Evaluation Methods in Health Care and Health Care Financing
• Critical Social Science Perspectives on Public Health
• Dental Public Health
• Preventive Dentistry
• Minor Thesis

This course will appeal to dental professionals:

• who wish to develop the knowledge, skills and commitment to develop services which are equitable and fair
• who wish to develop a greater understanding of the competing demands, resource implications and expectations in providing a public dental service in the twenty-first century

Detailed Entry Requirements

Prospective students must satisfy the following:

• students accepted on the course should hold a BDS (Hons) Degree of the NUI or equivalent degree. Health care professionals, for example medical doctors, nurses or auxillary dental workers holding relevant degrees will also be considered
• include with application form a sample of their own written work
• satisfy an interview board

All applicants should indicate on their application form their reasons for wishing to enter this programme and will be required to discuss these at interview.

Note: In exceptional circumstances applicants with a primary degree in another discipline may be recommended for entry to the programme following a review of their inpidual qualifications and experience by the course committee. Admission of such applicants may be subject to the approval of the College of Medicine and Health Executive Committee.

Course Practicalities

Lectures are scheduled for Thursday evenings and all day Friday. Extensive reading is required. Reading lists are provided with each module.

Assessment

The course is a taught master’s, modular in format with assessment through written examination, project work, essay and completion of a minor dissertation.