DT 135 - Diagnosis and Treatment Planning

Credits: 3
Variable Credit Course: No

Lecture Hours: 11
Lab Hours: 55
Worksite/Clinical Hours: 0
Other Hours (LIA/Internships): 0

Course Description: Learn about comprehensive, periodic, and limited oral examinations to develop dental treatment options in a systematic way. Topics include customization of treatment plans to accommodate patient considerations and needs, identification of conditions requiring consultation and treatment by dentists, physicians, other healthcare providers, and treatment that is within the dental therapy scope of practice. Interactive cases, critical thinking activities, and case presentations provide practice to prepare students for transitioning from preclinical to clinical sessions.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Dental Therapy (DT) coursework from previous quarter.
Meets FQE Requirement: No
Integrative Experience Requirement: No

Student Learning Outcomes

Explain the legal and ethical requirements of patient records.
Describe the purposes of medical and dental histories, medication review, extraoral and intraoral examinations, radiographs, dental photographs, informed consent, and diagnostic tests.
Describe the processes of collecting data (chief complaint, medical/dental history, findings from extraoral and intraoral exams, radiographic, dental photographs, and test, such as pulp vitality) needed to informed diagnosis and plan treatment options.
Identify medical and dental conditions that are not within the dental therapy scope of practice and require consultation or referral.
Document medical and dental conditions that are not within the dental therapy scope of practice and require consultation or referral.
Explain the purposes and processes for obtaining informed consent, writing progress notes using SOAPE format, and CDT coding.
Describe the purpose, process, and documentation when a patient consents or declines treatment.
Document findings from comprehensive, periodic, and limited oral examinations case studies.
Develop treatment plan options based on evidence-based practices.
Explain the rationale of patient presentations to obtain instructor approvals before, during, and after treatment during a clinic appointment.

Course Contents

Unit 1: Introduction to Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment Planning; Unit 2: Medical History in Dentistry
Unit 3: Collecting Vitals and Dental History; Unit 4: Exams in Dentistry (COE, POE, LOE)
Unit 5: Informed Consent; Unit 6: Operative Dentistry Review
Unit 7: Head and Neck Exam; Unit 8: Oral Pathology
Unit 9: Hard Tissue Examination; Unit 10: Radiographic Interpretation
Unit 11: Critical Thinking Cases; Unit 12: Periodontal Assessment
Unit 13: Pulp Vitality; Unit 14: Pulp Capping
Unit 15: Special Needs and Geriatric Patients; Unit 16: Patient Presentation

Instructional Units: 4.75