Special Needs Dentistry 2 (DENT90106)

Please note: This subject was originally published with an incorrect Subject Overview. The first overview listed reflects teaching that took place in the subject in 2022. The second overview is the historical record of what was published in the Handbook.

Updated Overview
Learning is achieved through a series of weekly seminars as well as clinical placements. Clinical training commences at different SND clinics. The subject introduces the students to the advanced clinical management of a wide range of adolescent and adult individuals with special needs at a specialist standard including, dental treatment using sedation and/or general anaesthesia. A student will begin to participate in regular meetings and interdisciplinary clinical sessions at different major hospitals in Melbourne. Other interdisciplinary meetings within the Dental School are regularly scheduled. The theoretical teaching covers a broad range of topics scheduled on cyclical rotation over the three years of the course and based on a review of the research literature. Students from all three years of the course attend all seminars. Students are assigned seminar topics on a roster at the beginning of the year and are required to research and present these topics to the class. Each semesters work will be examined at the end of that semester with all the three years work forming the basis of the comprehensive exam at the end of third year.

Original Overview
This subject provides the basis for the study of orthodontics, the specialty of dentistry that is concerned with the study and treatment of malocclusions, which may be a result of tooth irregularity and/or disproportionate jaw relationships.

Learning is achieved through a series of weekly seminars as well as clinical placements. The subject introduces a student to all aspects of orthodontic treatment and inter-disciplinary management of patients.  Clinical training commences at the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne and the Melbourne Dental Clinic under the guidance of experienced orthodontists.  A student will begin to participate in regular meetings and interdisciplinary clinical sessions with members of the surgical teams at RMH. Other interdisciplinary meetings within the Dental School are regularly scheduled.

Each student is allocated roughly 50 new cases at the commencement of the course, including orthognathic surgery patients.  At the end of the year, each student also receives transfer cases. Students treat a variety of cases with different malocclusion types and of different ages.

All students attend weekly diagnosis and treatment planning sessions of student and unseen cases to foster collegiate interaction and friendly debate on treatment options.

The theoretical teaching covers a broad range of topics scheduled on cyclical rotation over the three years of the course and based on a review of the research literature. Students from all three years of the course attend all seminars. Students are assigned seminar topics on a roster at the beginning of the year and are required to research and present these topics to the class.

DDS Teaching Requirement
All students are required to conduct seminars for the Doctor of Dental Surgery students of roughly 24 hours annually. This is undertaken in the second half of each year.