Oral Health - Tobacco Prevention and Tobacco Cessation, 4.5 credits

University Diploma in Dental Hygiene equivalent to 120 credits.

Students who have failed in the clinical placement or the equivalent as a consequence of demonstrating serious deficiencies in knowledge, skills or attitude, that the patient's safety or confidence in healthcare have been at risk is qualified for new placement only when the individual action plan has been completed.

After completing the course, the student will be able to:

• Explain the damage effects of tobacco on the oral health and the general health, risks with tobacco use, gains of cessation, an withdrawal after discontinuing, all of this based on scientific foundation.
• Give an account of scientific theories regarding cessation methods for individuals.
• Plan, carry out and evaluate health promotion work and evaluate their own effort.
• Apply communication methodology in tobacco cessation with a focus on motivating conversations.
• Design an individual plan that includes aims and strategies for directed individual tobacco cessation, follow up and evaluation and a strategy for relapse prevention.
• Reflect on health problems related to tobacco and its influence on oral health at individual level as well as from a social perspective.
• Evaluate and reflect on ethical issues in health promotion and tobacco-preventive work.

The course emphasises the relationships between oral health and illness, life style and public health from a national or global perspective. In the course, the student acquires knowledge of tobacco-preventive work and proficiency in how to independently and actively conduct tobacco cessation work. Laws and regulations related to tobacco are discussed in a national and global perspective.

• Damage effects of tobacco.
• Scientific theories and models about tobacco cessation and relapse prevention.
• Theoretical models and the scientific foundation regarding behavioural change.
• Application of communication methodology with a focus on motivating conversations.
• Research about products for tobacco cessation.
• Practical application of tobacco cessation and relapse prevention on patient.

• Practical application of behavioral change on patients.
• Practical application of tobacco cessation and relapse prevention on patient.
• Evaluation of their own health promotion work with connection to oral health and general the health, and based on ethical questions.
• Reflection over the tobacco work, based on social aspects.

Lectures, seminars, group work, clinical proficiency training, supervisor meetings and self-study.

Seminars and two supervision sessions (in groups or individually) is compulsory.

The course coordinator decides if, and how, absence from compulsory parts can be compensated. Study results cannot be reported until the student has participated in compulsory course elements or compensated for any absence in accordance with instructions from the course coordinator. Absence from a compulsory course element could mean that the student can not retake the element until the next time the course is offered.

Tobacco prevention and tobacco cessation 1, 3 credits

• Written individual examination.
• Individually written presentation of a case with cessation treated patient, with a clearly presented process for the cessation work.
• Written assignment about tobacco cessation methods.

Tobacco prevention and tobacco cessation 2, 1.5 credits

• Individually written presentation of two cases with cessation treated patients, with a clearly presented process for the cessation work.
• Written individual written assignment about ethics and social perspectives.

To receive a grade of pass with distinction for the whole course, a pass with distinction for both modules is required.

Students who do not pass a regular examination are entitled to re-sit the examination on five more occasions. If the student has failed six examinations/tests, no additional examination is given. The number of examinations for clinical placement or equivalent is limited to two times.

The examiner may, with immediate effect, interrupt a student's clinical placement (or equivalent) if the student demonstrates such serious deficiencies in knowledge, skills or attitude that patient safety or patient confidence in healthcare is at risk. If a clinical placement is interrupted in this way the student is deemed to have failed that element and to have used up one clinical placement opportunity. In such cases, an individual action plan should be set up stating which activities and tests are required before the student is qualified for a new clinical placement on the course.

If there are special grounds, or a need for adaptation for a student with a disability, the examiner may decide to deviate from the syllabus's regulations on the examination form, the number of examination opportunities, the possibility of supplementation or exemptions from the compulsory section/s of the course etc. Content and learning outcomes as well as the level of expected skills, knowledge and abilities may not be changed, removed or reduced.

If the course is discontinued or undergoes major changes, examination according to the previous literature list and learning outcomes will be offered for no more than one academic year after the implementation of the revision/discontinuation.