Dental Public Health Methods

1.1 Definition, scope and core functions of dental public health; 1.2 Determinants of oral health; 1.3 Health inequalities and inequities; 1.4 Concepts of need, demand and supply; 1.5 Levels and strategies of prevention; 1.6 Ethics and values in public health practice; 1.7 Health systems, financing and service delivery

2.1 Indicators vs indices: definitions and uses; 2.2 Oral health surveillance: purpose, periodicity, population coverage (concept); 2.3 Core oral disease indicators: caries, periodontal disease, edentulism, oral cancer risk factors; 2.4 Behavioural indicators: sugar intake frequency, tobacco/areca use, brushing habits, dental attendance; 2.5 Service indicators: access, utilization, unmet need, workforce density (intro); 2.6 Data sources: surveys, clinic records, insurance data awareness, school

3.1 Descriptive epidemiology: person–place–time, age standardization concept (intro); 3.2 Disease measures: prevalence, incidence, severity indices (applied); 3.3 Association and causation: Bradford Hill concept awareness (intro); 3.4 Measures of effect: risk ratio, odds ratio (concept + interpretation); 3.5 Diagnostic test validity: sensitivity, specificity, PPV/NPV (screening relevance); 3.6 Basic biostatistics: mean/median, SD, confidence intervals (intro); 3.7 P-values concept and statistic

4.1 Cross-sectional studies: oral health surveys (core); 4.2 Case-control studies: identifying risk factors (intro); 4.3 Cohort studies: risk and natural history (intro); 4.4 Experimental designs: RCTs and community trials (intro); 4.5 Qualitative research: interviews/focus groups (intro); 4.6 Mixed methods research: when and why (intro); 4.7 Common biases: selection bias, information bias, confounding (applied); 4.8 Critical appraisal basics: internal validity, external validity (intro)

5.1 Steps of needs assessment: define population ? measure need ? identify determinants ? plan response; 5.2 Rapid vs comprehensive needs assessments (intro); 5.3 Priority setting criteria: burden, severity, equity, feasibility, cost, acceptability; 5.4 Tools awareness: burden-of-disease measures (DALY concept—intro); 5.5 Stakeholder engagement in priority setting: community leaders, schools, policymakers; 5.6 Translating needs into measurable objectives (SMART objectives)

6.1 Program planning cycle: situational analysis ? objectives ? strategy ? implementation ? evaluation; 6.2 Logic models: inputs ? activities ? outputs ? outcomes ? impact (intro); 6.3 Intervention levels: individual, community, policy (upstream); 6.4 Selecting interventions based on evidence: guidelines and systematic reviews awareness; 6.5 Designing school oral health programs: components and workflow (overview); 6.6 Designing high-risk clinics/pathways: CRA-based prevention (overview); 6.7 Co

7.1 Fluoride Methods: Water, Salt and Milk; 7.2 Topical Fluoride Programmes; 7.3 Pit and Fissure Sealants; 7.4 Sugar Reduction; 7.5 Tobacco and Areca Cessation; 7.6 Oral Cancer Screening; 7.7 Injury Prevention and Mouthguards; 7.8 The Common Risk Factor Approach

8.1 Health education vs health promotion (definitions); 8.2 Behaviour change theories (intro): Health Belief Model, Theory of Planned Behaviour awareness; 8.3 Motivational interviewing basics (intro) and brief interventions; 8.4 Designing educational materials: readability, visuals, language, key messages; 8.5 Community campaigns: channels (schools, media, clinics), message testing (intro); 8.6 Evaluation of education programmes: knowledge vs behaviour vs clinical outcomes

9.1 Screening principles: Wilson–Jungner criteria awareness (intro); 9.2 Types of screening: population, targeted/high-risk, opportunistic; 9.3 Oral cancer screening: visual exam protocols and referral pathways (intro); 9.4 Caries screening in schools: indices selection and referral criteria (overview); 9.5 Periodontal screening: CPI/BPE awareness and limitations; 9.6 Ethical issues in screening: false positives/negatives, anxiety, access to follow-up care

10.1 Defining survey aims, outcomes, and case definitions; 10.2 Sampling methods: random, stratified, cluster (school-based); 10.3 Sample size concept: precision, confidence, design effect (intro); 10.4 Examiner training and calibration: kappa concept (intro); 10.5 Data collection tools: forms, electronic data capture (intro); 10.6 Field logistics: consent, infection control, equipment, team roles; 10.7 Data management: coding, cleaning, confidentiality, storage; 10.8 Reporting survey results: p

11.1 Why economics matters: limited resources and opportunity cost; 11.2 Types of economic evaluation awareness: cost-minimization, cost-effectiveness, cost-utility (intro); 11.3 Direct vs indirect costs (intro); 11.4 Cost-effectiveness concept in prevention (fluoride/sealants—intro); 11.5 Workforce planning awareness: skill mix, task shifting (intro); 1.6 Budgeting basics for a community program (intro)

12.1 Evidence hierarchy: RCTs, cohort, case-control, cross-sectional, qualitative; 12.2 Systematic reviews and meta-analyses: how they inform policy (intro); 12.3 Guideline development awareness (intro) and adaptation to local context; 12.4 Assessing bias and applicability of evidence to populations; 12.5 Translating evidence into policy and practice (knowledge translation concept)

13.1 Process vs outcome vs impact evaluation; 13.2 Indicators and targets: selecting meaningful metrics; 13.3 Baseline and follow-up measurements (survey linkage); 13.4 Programme fidelity: adherence to planned delivery (intro); 13.5 Continuous quality improvement (CQI) in public health programmes (intro); 13.6 Writing M&E reports and recommendations

14.1 Policy tools: taxation, regulation, education, service provision (intro) ; 14.2 Sugar and tobacco policy awareness (intro); 14.3 Water fluoridation debates awareness (intro); 14.4 Health in All Policies (intro); 14.5 Data governance: privacy, consent, data sharing (intro); 14.6 Equity impact assessments awareness (intro)

15.1 Working with schools, primary healthcare, municipalities, NGOs; 15.2 Stakeholder mapping and engagement methods; 15.3 Community participatory methods: focus groups, community advisory boards (intro); 15.4 Cultural competence and language access planning; 15.5 Managing community expectations and sustainability planning