| CODE | ORC0002 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Health, Safety and Infection Control for Dental Surgery Assistants | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 00 - Mod Pre-Tert, Foundation, Proficiency & DegreePlus | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 4 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Oral Rehabilitation and Community Care | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit is designed to familiarise students with current local and EU legislation pertaining to Occupational Health and Safety. Participants will also acquire knowledge and practical experience on how to prepare themselves and the dental practices they work in, and create and maintain a safe clinical environment to eliminate the potential for disease transmission. Microbiology topics include general bacterial morphology and taxonomy, lectures on specific common bacteria, infection control and virology. Study-unit Aims: The study-unit aims at: - Familiarizing students with the concepts of Maltese and European Law in issues of Occupational Health and Safety; - Familiarizing students with infection control measures and aseptic techniques in a dental environment; - Providing basic knowledge of microbiology as a foundation for understanding the natural history of oral infections; - Guiding the student to understand the role of the laboratory in the diagnosis and management of microbiological disease, and the principles of disease prevention both in the community and in the hospital setting. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Describe the basic legislation of Occupational Health and Safety in Malta and the EU laws; - Describe the risks involved during work practices in a Dental Clinic Environment; - Discuss proper ergonomic and posture training in the practical session relating to LN 35/2003; - Discuss the aetiological agents of oral infectious diseases and their infectivity; - Discuss bacterial and viral classification, basic morphology and growth; - Discuss microbial pathogenicity; - Discuss the modes of transmission of infectious disease; - Identify infectious diseases that pose a risk in oral healthcare and assess the risk of transmission; - Discuss the prevention and management of serious oral infection and plan appropriate control measures; - Interpret emerging guidelines of infection control. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Draw up a comprehensive Risk Assessment in a clinical dental setting; - Apply mechanisms of infection control; - Select appropriate attire for use during patient care; - Prepare the dental environment prior to and after patient care; - Classify the important oral pathogenic micro-organisms; - Identify risk factors for infectious disease; - Identify the correct methods of sample selection and collection for reaching a diagnosis; - Interpret the vaccination schedule used locally; - Implement the methods used for disinfection and sterilization and universal safety precautions. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main texts: 1. Title: Basic Guide to Infection Prevention and Control in Dentistry (Basic Guide Dentistry Series) Authors: Caroline Pankhurst, Wil Coulter Edition: 1st ISBN-10: 1405176628 ISBN-13: 000-1405176628 2. Title: Oral microbiology at a glance Authors: Richard J. Lamont, Howard F. Jenkinson Edition: 1st ISBN 0813828929 ISBN 9780813828923 3: Legislation: http://www.ohsa.org.mt Website for downloading powerpoint presentations and lecture materials: ftp://restorative.dyndns-server.com Login Name and password will be provided to all students. |
||||||||
| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Attendance to scheduled sessions, inclusive of lectures/tutorials, practical, laboratory and clinical components is compulsory. Students who do not attend at least 90% of the scheduled sessions will not be allowed to sit for any of the assessment components mentioned below. | ||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Independent Study | ||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
|
||||||||
| LECTURER/S | Emma Schembri Manisha Rahaman Carmen Caruana |
||||||||
|
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
|||||||||