ORAL AND LABORATORY HYGIENE

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The subject ‘Oral and Laboratory Hygiene’ is divided into two separate parts.

Part 1: Oral Hygiene and

Part 2: Dental Laboratory Hygiene.

In Part 1 students will be familiarized with the ways and means of oral hygiene cavity prevention and therapy. Regarding lab hygiene, the students learn about the risks they are exposed to due to the patient, dentist, dental assistant and dental technician chain. Moreover, they learn about the ways and means, at their disposal, for preventing the spread of contagious and infectious diseases

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be in a position to:

• Explain what dental caries and periodontitis is as well as their role in the health of teeth and periodontal tissues
• Recognize and explain what dental microbial plaque and tartar is as well as their relationship with everyday diet.
• Recognize and describe the basic methods and ways to prevent tooth decay
• Understand and utilize contemporary oral hygiene means: toothbrush, dental floss, interdental brushes etc.
• Know and discern the relationship between the morphology of the prostheses they fabricate and the oral hygiene as well as how the dental technician contributes to and facilitates the maintenance of the patients’ oral health
• Analyze and assess the adoption of the right techniques – ways or means to prevent the spread of infectious diseases in their working space
• Understand and recognize the means of transmission of infectious diseases within the patient- dentist- assistant- dental technician cycle.
• Organize their laboratory space properly so as to not allow the appearance of or effectively prevent cross-infection
• Demonstrate that they understand the overall procedure of applying the aforementioned knowledge to Dental Technology

 

SYLLABUS

The course is offered through a cycle of 13 theoretical lectures:
1. Introduction to elements of anatomy related to the oral cavity.
2. Caries, Periodontitis, the most frequent diseases due to bad oral hygiene.
3. Dental microbial plaque: formation, its relationship to healthy nutrition and the daily oral hygiene routine.
4. Fluorine: intake and its action against caries.
5. Modern means of oral cavity care, toothbrush, dental floss, interdental brushes, etc. Daily oral hygiene and its importance to the success and longevity of prosthetic restorations.
6. Prosthetic restorations morphology and oral hygiene. The ways in which the dental technician contributes to oral hygiene maintenance.
7. Control of infectious diseases transmission from patient to the dentist, from dentist to the dental technology lab and vice versa.
8. Risks due to cross-infection between patients, dentists, assistants and dental technicians. Ways and means to prevent transmission of infectious diseases.
9. Harmful factors within the dental technology work space. Biological – chemical – physical – ergonomic.
10. Biological danger factors within the dental technology work space. Health implications, transmission routes, symptoms, general and personal precautionary protective measures.
11. Disinfection of impressions and prosthetic restorations. Disinfectants: specifications, timing, effects on the physicomechanical properties of materials and prosthetic restorations.
12. Physical and chemical danger factors within the dental technology work space. Health implications,
transmission routes, symptoms, general and personal precautionary protective measures.
13. Ergonomic danger factors within the dental technology work space. Health implications, transmission routes, symptoms, general and personal precautionary protective measures. Suggested preventive protocol for dealing with the harmful factors within the dental technology work space.