Welcome to the Department of Developmental and Preventive Sciences. The Department of Developmental and Preventive Sciences encompasses three disciplines:
Pediatric Dentistry is an age-defined specialty that provides primary and comprehensive preventive and therapeutic oral health care for children, including those with special health care needs. Pediatric Dentistry, an interdisciplinary subject, integrates and requires knowledge in different aspects and fields of dentistry. Recognition of the pediatric patient as a growing individual and theoretical knowledge of the somatic and mental development of the child patient as they relate to the management of children in the dental clinic is emphasized.
The goals of education are to provide the foundation knowledge and educational experiences in pediatric dentistry and offer diverse experiences in all aspects of pediatric dentistry clinical care as recognized by the specialty. The program instills in the undergraduate students all the values and beliefs of the specialty and ensures they have the skills to be responsible for care of the growing child. The didactic component provides education in the areas of growth and development, child development and its applications to dentistry, early recognition and management of minor occlusal problems, health promotion and prevention of disease, patient care, behavior guidance, and minor sedation techniques. The clinical component allows the undergraduate students to be skilled and involved in the preventive and restorative management of child patients requiring oral care. Students are taught to provide comprehensive dental care to both normal and disabled children in a normal dental setting, including minor sedation techniques.
Orthodontics is the oldest specialty in dentistry, and covers all necessary processes and routines associated with diagnosis and treatment of malocclusions. Didactic orthodontic teaching at the undergraduate level focuses on growth of the jaws, development of occlusion, contributions of adverse growth patterns to development of malocclusion, effects of orthodontic forces on the teeth and the jaws, need for orthodontic treatment, timing of orthodontic treatment, mode of action of different types of orthodontic appliances, outcomes of different types of treatment, including those that require multidisciplinary interventions for successful results, as well as different types of adverse effects. Clinical teaching is limited to appropriate referral routines for cases in need of comprehensive care and active care of patients with limited treatment needs.
"Dental Public Health is that form of dental practice which serves the community as a patient rather than the individual. It is concerned with the dental health education of the public, with applied dental research, and with the administration of group dental care programs as well as the prevention and control of dental diseases on a community basis" (American Dental Association, 1976). The curriculum of Dental Public Health is rooted in enhancing critical thinking, evidence-based care, and clinical competence of the dental undergraduate students. The first course (DPH -I) provides an introduction to ethical principles, research methods and Evidence-Based Dentistry. The second course (DPH-II) designed to provide the students with the knowledge on the prevention of various dental diseases. The third course (DPH-III) is designed to raise the dental students’ awareness about the public health care system of the country, medico-legal issues in dentistry and to expose them to the needs of underserved children and adults. The Discipline’s service to the community includes in-reach and out-reach activities such as oral health education, dental examinations and preventive treatments provided to school children.