ORAL11001 - Introduction to Oral Health Therapy

General Information

Unit Synopsis

This unit introduces you to the profession of an Oral Health Therapist and to your role within the dental team. You will be introduced to regulatory, ethical, and legal frameworks which form the basis of dental practice. in particular, this unit will focus on workplace health and safety, infection control and prevention, communication, practice management and requirements for registration. This unit will also develop the foundation knowledge and skills in the dental environment as you commence preclinical and clinical training. An important part of your preclinical training in this unit will be to gain theoretical knowledge in radiation safety and radiographic imaging procedures and learn to take both intra-oral and extra-oral radiographs safely and competently in a simulated environment. Mandatory requirements for clinical practice including, First Aid, Immunisations and Blue Card must be fulfilled.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 1
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 3
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Condition: Students must be enrolled full-time in CB29 Oral Health Course to enrol in this unit. 

Corequisites: BMSC11010 Human Anatomy and Physiology 1 and ALLH11009 Research Methods for Health Professionals. 



Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 3 - 2024

Term 1 - 2025 Profile
Rockhampton

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. In-class Test(s) 60%
2. Portfolio 0%
3. Online Quiz(zes) 40%

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).

Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 1 - 2023 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 90.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 50% response rate.

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Source: Face-to-face and by email.
Feedback
Students would like detailed feedback on their perfomance in the In-Class test in radiography.
Recommendation
It is recommended that the criteria and standards for student's radiography practical skills be reviewed to ensure students have clear understanding of the tasks required. Exemplars will be provided on Moodle.
Action Taken
Radiography practical assessment was reviewed. The criteria and standards for the assessment were clearly visible on moodle and discussed in class. Exemplar videos were made available.
Source: Face to face and student evaluations.
Feedback
Students would like more individual assistance in practical activities from supervisors.
Recommendation
It is recommended that the student to supervisor ratio be reviewed when the next cohort of students is known and an additional supervisor assistance be allocated.
Action Taken
A second supervisor was allocated for the simulation laboratory and radiography skills development sessions.
Source: Face to face and by email.
Feedback
Students were unsure of how they would be assessed on dental radiography theory. They were concerned that in addition to the pass/fail quizzes in radiography they would be assessed in the end of term online test.
Recommendation
It is recommended that the method of assessment for dental radiography theory and the online test at the end of term be revised. Rather than one online test in exam week, students will be assessment by a series of quizzes spread across the term which will include the assessment of radiography theory.
Action Taken
The method and timing of theory assessment was revised. Radiography theory teaching was introduced early in the term, weekly formative quizzes introduced and the summative assessment was included in two online quiz assessments which were spaced over the term.
Source: In class
Feedback
Students responded well to additional supervisors in radiography practical sessions and in the simulation laboratory sessions. Students felt that they learnt well in these sessions.
Recommendation
It is recommended that the current level of supervision in practical classes is maintained.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: In class
Feedback
Students would like more assistance in preparation for assessment in radiography theory.
Recommendation
It is recommended that support for learning radiography theory be reviewed and that the formative quizzes in radiography be developed further to improve feedback and to assist preparation for summative assessments.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: In class
Feedback
Students responded positively to the e-Portfolio where they were asked to upload evidence of their clinical skill development. Included in the evidence were photos of tasks carried out in practical sessions and certificates. Students could see how the e-portfolio would become useful for future employment applications and their professional career.
Recommendation
It is recommended that the e-portfolio remain as part of the Portfolio assessment.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Understand the roles and responsibilities of an Oral Health Therapist as a member of the dental team and of the community.
  2. Demonstrate preclinical skills in the use of dental instruments, equipment and materials in a simulated environment including the techniques for intra-oral and extra-oral radiography.
  3. Understand the principles of infection control, workplace health and safety as well as the scientific basis, applications and safe use of ionizing radiation in dental practice.
  4. Demonstrate appropriate professional and ethical values and behaviors and communication skills for the dental practitioner.

The learning outcomes of this unit are part of the overall learning outcomes in the Bachelor of Oral Health course at CQUniversity and are included in the annual report to the Australian Dental Council (ADC).

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - In-class Test(s) • •
2 - Portfolio • •
3 - Online Quiz(zes) • • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Communication • • • •
2 - Problem Solving • •
3 - Critical Thinking • •
4 - Information Literacy • • •
5 - Team Work • •
6 - Information Technology Competence • •
7 - Cross Cultural Competence •
8 - Ethical practice • •
9 - Social Innovation •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10