Curriculum Second Year

6331 Systemic Health and Clinical Medicine
This course combines an introduction to the general principles of anatomy, histology, and physiology of the human cardiovascular, pulmonary, renal, gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary and endocrine systems, with an extensive study of the pathology and therapeutics of these systems, with an explicit emphasis on their relationship to dental practice. Principles of laboratory medicine will be reinforced throughout the course.

The purpose of this course is to give student doctors a foundation for understanding physical diagnosis, medical workups, medical consultations and medical conditions which directly affect the medical management of the dental patient. Clinical Case of the Day examples are reviewed/discussed. The relationship of the basic sciences and clinical medicine in the medical management of the patient are reinforced throughout.

This course will be focused on non-surgical periodontal and endodontic therapy. The macroscopic and microscopic effects of this modality of treatment will be discussed. Different forms of periodontal diseases and non-surgical therapeutic tools will also be presented as well as information on the prognosis of the periodontal therapy and the relevance of maintenance. This course also includes instruction in the foundational core of Endodontics, including pulp biology, primary non-surgical root canal treatment. Students are further trained in advanced endodontic procedures. This includes instruction in trauma, resorption, retreatment, endodontic surgery, bleaching, etc.

The pre-clinical endodontic laboratory course is designed to introduce endodontic concepts and techniques to a student under simulated conditions using extracted teeth

The pre-clinical endodontic laboratory course is designed to introduce endodontic concepts and techniques to a student under simulated conditions using extracted teeth.

This course combines an introduction to the general principles of the neurologic system with an extensive study of its pathology and therapeutics. There is an explicit emphasis on their relationship to dental practice. The medical clerkship portion will integrate knowledge gained in prior courses with a focus on the medical management of dental patients. The first section of the course will introduce the anatomy and development of the brain, followed by in depth discussion of sedation, anesthesia, and pain control in dentistry. The second section of the course will focus on neurologic disorders, mental health and psychiatric disease, including therapeutics. The third section of the course will include medical clerkship lectures to give a foundation for understanding physical diagnosis, medical workups, medical consultations and medical conditions that directly affect the medical management of the dental patient. Clinical correlations and case discussions will be used throughout the course.

This course provides students with the knowledge of growth and development, concentrating on child somatic, craniofacial, and dental growth and development through the lens of pediatric dentistry and orthodontics. The students build a solid foundation along the lines of diagnosing problems and understanding the etiology of malocclusion and space maintenance. Also included for discussion are unique treatment considerations for geriatric patients and for those who have medically complex needs including cognitive and physical disabilities.

Lectures, seminars and standardized patient sessions provide students with the knowledge and skills to communicate with and manage appropriately a diverse group of clinical patients at Penn Dental Medicine. Topics include discussion of patients’ perception of dentists and dental care, patient adherence and motivational interviewing, health disparities, management of diverse patients with psychiatric disorders, patients with fear, anxiety, phobias and pain, as well as review of the dentist’s role in identifying and managing patients experiencing abuse (child abuse and intimate partner violence) and addiction disorders. This course also provides the foundation for students to understand knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to develop as professional dental care providers for success in dental practice. A comprehensive understanding of how to interpret scientific literature that forms the basis of evidence-based clinical practice is a foundational principle of this course.

The curriculum of the Fixed Prosthodontics Lecture Course deals with the building of knowledge, thought processes and understanding the procedures required in the restoration of missing and/or badly broken-down teeth by the fabrication of non-removable prostheses. Students will learn diagnosis, treatment planning, rehabilitation and maintenance of oral function, comfort, appearance and health of patients with clinical conditions associated with missing or deficient teeth using biocompatible substitutes. These restorations must provide an improved state of oral health, function and esthetics for patients. The curriculum of the laboratory component deals with the building of knowledge, thought processes, skills and understanding the procedures required in the restoration of missing and/or badly broken-down teeth by the fabrication of non-removable prostheses. Students will gain hands-on experience in the clinical and technical aspects of fixed prosthodontics.

This course will focus on more advanced prosthodontic concepts and laboratory exercises that comprise a modern perception of esthetics. Students will learn the diagnostic process, indications, contra-indications and limitations of modern materials along with techniques utilized in esthetic restorations. Students will perform and understand the techniques and procedures necessary for the completion of cases involving basic esthetic modalities utilized effectively in practice such as porcelain veneers, diastema closures, CAD/CAM technology, inlays and onlays.

This course will give a continuation of the D1 course dealing with the whole patient and the surgical and non-surgical treatment of the dental hard tissues. It builds on the foundation knowledge and experience from 1, exposing students to more complex cases. Both the classical and contemporary preparations of restorative dentistry are presented. Student will prepare for the patient care program by reviewing updates in cardiology, caries diagnosis; caries risk assessment, CAD/CAM and homecare procedures being reinforced in a simulated patient setting. All laboratory procedures will be “cased based” using a patient scenario. This training will take place in a simulation environment that develops good “clinical” habits and integrates “patient” data into the daily treatment. The course will also introduce the D2 student to the clinic Electronic Health Record (HER) using these same patient scenarios. The course finally transitions students to active patients care in the clinic.

A combination of lectures, seminars and laboratory exercises provide the dental student with a fundamental understanding of the partially edentulous condition. Topics covered include classification, diagnosis, treatment planning and treatment of partially edentulous patients with RPDs. This course is designed to provide students with the terminology, concepts and principles necessary for case selection, design, construction of, and patient therapy with conventional RPDs. Upon completion of this course, students will have the necessary didactic knowledge to successfully understand and treat removable partial denture cases in conjunction with the clinical faculty during their fourth year.

This course presented primarily in the clinic is designed to provide an orientation and transition for second year students who have demonstrated their competency in performing procedures on a simulator to utilizing these skills and knowledge for direct patient care. Prior to beginning direct patient care each student will complete necessary pre-requisites such as how to read and complete a patient chart, OSHA training, and CPR. This course is intended to help with the transition from the simulation environment to the clinical environment.

In this course, the student moves from assisting to primary practitioner care. The students will begin their development as dental practitioners. They’ll be assigned their own roster of patients and participate in the evaluation and admission of new patients.

This is a preclinical laboratory course which consists of preclinical laboratory sessions and short presentations which include demonstrating and performing restorative and prosthetic procedures in a simulated environment (manikin and typodonts).

All throughout, students will receive instruction in the principles of professionalism and ethical decision making with emphasis on case-based discussions. Students will also learn about their local Philadelphia community via a module entitled “The Penn Experience: Racism, Reconciliation and Engagement”.

The Selectives Program expands the dimensions of the predoctoral curriculum by allowing students to individualize their education to reflect some of their professional and personal interests and study areas that fall outside the core curriculum. The Selectives Program includes didactic, clinical, community dental health service, and research opportunities, many of which occur in small group seminars or individualized settings that promote close student-faculty interactions.