Prerequisites for admission.

Admission to the degree programme in Dental Hygiene is subject to the possession of a secondary school diploma or equivalent suitable qualification obtained abroad.
Admission to the programme is subject to the passing of an entrance exam set in line with the laws in force concerning health professions and the nationally programmed access (Law 264/99) and the relative call for admissions issued by UNIMORE.
Knowledge required for admission is deemed to be appropriate for all candidates obtaining a minimum of 20 points in the entrance exam, as laid down in Ministerial Decree no. 85 of 5 February 2014.
Candidates not achieving this score shall be assigned additional learning requirements (OFA) to be completed by attending the remedial courses indicated by the degree programme.

Skills associated with the function

Dental hygienists are health operators who promote oral health to improve the health of the whole body as well as personal appearance and self-esteem. They perform clinical diagnoses and x-rays to monitor gum and tooth disease, cooperating with dentists to update dental clinical records and draft treatment plans. They train in various oral hygiene methods and the use of diagnostic means to underline the main causes of oral disease, i.e. bacterial plaque. They describe the rules of a healthy diet to promote dental health and perform dental cleaning, applying fluorine and/or seals to prevent tooth decay, and tooth whitening agents. The profession is currently enjoying a boom and the market is in full demand due to the low number of qualified dental hygienists. Professional services may be provided in public or private healthcare facilities, as employees or on a freelance basis.
The Dental Hygiene Profession involves the ability to work with other members of the dental team (dentist, dental assistant, administrative staff, orthodontist and oral surgeon). The Hygienist must also be able to listen to and understand the patients' needs.

Function in a work context

Dental hygienists are health operators who promote oral health to improve the health of the whole body as well as personal appearance and self-esteem. They perform clinical diagnoses and x-rays to monitor gum and tooth disease, cooperating with dentists to update dental clinical records and draft treatment plans. They train in various oral hygiene methods and the use of diagnostic means to underline the main causes of oral disease, i.e. bacterial plaque. They describe the rules of a healthy diet to promote dental health and perform dental cleaning, applying fluorine and/or seals to prevent tooth decay, and tooth whitening agents. The profession is currently enjoying a boom and the market is in full demand due to the low number of qualified dental hygienists. Professional services may be provided in public or private healthcare facilities, as employees or on a freelance basis.
Dental hygiene graduates must be able to autonomously apply their knowledge and operational techniques to exercise the profession of Dental Hygienist. For this purpose, graduates must be able to use the knowledge acquired, exploiting their understanding obtained through individual study and the vocational knowledge gained during internships. In particular graduates must: - be able to recognise the clinical signs of local and systemic disease in the oral cavity, as well as the morphological and functional aspects of dental health; - be able to recognise the vital signs and practice first aid manoeuvres in the working environment; - be able to practice a full range of operating procedures relating to their professional profile, following the instructions of the dentist and within a context of global patient treatment without producing any additional risks for the patient; - be able to work with other professions in planning oral prevention interventions in the community, based on their knowledge of the principles and practices of community dentistry; - be able to control cross-infection in the exercise of their profession; - know and apply anti-tobacco counselling techniques, motivating patients to oral hygiene at home, regular check-ups and a healthy diet for the protection of oral health.

Educational goals

The Degree Programme sets out to train health operators able to work in the prevention and cure of oral and dental conditions. Specifically, Dental Hygiene graduates must be able to recognise the timing and methods of an integrated dental treatment plan; they will be familiar with the techniques and instruments for removing tartar and polishing roots, as well as the topical application of various prophylaxes; they will acquire communication skills to teach patients to check and remove bacterial plaque to prevent, reduce and control pathologies leading to fillings and parodontal problems through the use of mechanical, chemical and dietary instruments; plan, provide and assess primary and secondary prevention plans for healthy, sick and disabled patients, both in hospital and in the community, promoting positive and healthy life styles and habits and teaching users to adopt self-management systems; they will act consistently with the disciplinary and ethical principles and the code of conduct of the dental hygiene profession, applying the relative rules concerning relations with the community and
the respect of their rights; they will apply the results of research to improve the quality of prevention.
The programme curriculum includes, in year 1, the study of bio-medical and morphological disciplines to improve knowledge of the most important elements underlying the physiological and pathological processes affecting the mouth and teeth, as well as knowledge of the socio-psycho-pedagogic bases applied to health education and dental prevention.
In year 2 they will study the principles of general medical practice and oral disease, and will acquire knowledge of professional and home-based oral hygiene techniques, aiming to ensure both theoretical and practical knowledge of basic dental hygiene sciences. In year 3 the specialist course units aim to teach the techniques of oral hygiene in patients with special needs, providing students with the knowledge required to interact with dentists, orthodontists and oral surgeons, to draft correct treatment plans together.
Professional skills and methods of conduct are acquired through theoretical and practical learning activities and in specific working contexts, at the end of the programme guaranteeing a full command of all the required skills and their immediate application in a professional environment. As an integral and qualifying part of their professional training, practical work and clinical internships, the duration of which increases progressively throughout the three-year programme, are of particular importance. These activities are undertaken under the supervision of assigned professional tutors and an internship coordinator.

Communication skills

Graduates in Dental Hygiene must possess:
- the ability to describe the treatment to the patients, providing appropriate information based on the knowledge accepted by the scientific community to obtain the informed consent to the treatment;
- the ability to stimulate the compliance of the patients, increasing their motivation;
- the ability to clearly underline the importance of dental prevention using methodological rigour and modern technologies, as well as the value of the professional figure of the Dental Hygienist, communicating with both a specialist and non-specialist audience;
- knowledge of the English language to post-secondary level, useful also for consulting scientific publications and journals;
- ability to work with other health professionals, developing knowledge of the rules and dynamics of group work in the healthcare field.
Communication skills are developed and assessed during the clinical internship, seminars and lectures during the course units and in the presentation of the dissertation, using multimedia tools before an examination board.

Making Judgements

Graduates in Dental Hygiene:
- are able to autonomously manage non-surgical treatment of parodontal disease and prevention of tooth decay, following the indications provided by the dentist or dental physician;
- are able to assess the effectiveness of the treatment plan, the work performed and the results achieved;
- are able to recognise their own limits in assisting patients and recognise the need to direct patients to other medical figures for other medical or dental treatment;
The ability to make judgements is cultivated by students through the reading of scientific publications, the updating of specific websites and the production of the dissertation.

Learning skills

Dental Hygiene graduates must be able to update the theoretical knowledge acquired by consulting and analysing scientific publications concerning dental hygiene sciences, also using on-line databases.Graduates must be able to correctly interpret the law governing the dental hygiene profession in the country of the European Union in which they work and provide their professional services in compliance with the ethical and medical-legal standards applied in that country.
Learning skills are evaluated through continuous assessment during the learning activities, combining the knowledge acquired during the specific activities with that achieved through personal study, evaluating the
Graduates must have knowledge and methodological skills to ensure that they can continue their studies and cultural growth (post-graduate university programmes and masters courses).
critical contribution shown during seminars and clinical internships, as well as the evaluation of the self-learning skills developed during the activities in preparation of the final examination.

Knowledge and understanding

Generic Area
Dental hygiene graduates must have post-secondary knowledge of basic biomedical and clinical disciplines, manual skills and operational techniques required to exercise the Dental Hygienist profession.
Particularly, graduates in Dental Hygiene must:
- possess knowledge of the foundations of morphology, physiology and human pathology, integrating physio-pathological and pathological studies with clinical methodology and therapeutic procedures required for this professional profile;
- understand the main pathological conditions and therapeutic, medical and surgical procedures that are complementary to the dental hygienist profession, and must have a basic command of dental care and assistance following health-related pedagogical, psychological, sociological and ethical principles;
- understand the effects of pharmacological treatment of systemic diseases on oral health and any implications on the therapeutic procedures required for this professional profile;
- understand the demographic aspects, prevention and treatment of oral and dental disease in children, adults and the elderly, as well as in medically compromised or mentally or physically disabled patients, specifically studying the diseases and preventive and therapeutic procedures of the clinical activities of the dental hygienist (tooth decay, parodontal disease, oral health education, maintaining of clinical records and measurement of clinical-epidemiological indexes, tartar removal, root polishing, application of prophylaxis, training in oral hygiene, patient motivation, anti-tobacco counselling).
The above knowledge is acquired through the basic and core learning activities. The teaching methods include lectures, workshops, practical exercises and clinical internships. Assessments include oral exams, written reports, aiming to assess the possession and application of logical rigour, and, for those subjects that so require, practical tests on simulators.
Graduates must also be able to use the specific language of dental hygiene sciences.

Applying knowledge and understanding

Generic Area
Dental hygiene graduates must be able to autonomously apply their knowledge and operational techniques to exercise the profession of Dental Hygienist. For this purpose, graduates must be able to use the knowledge acquired, exploiting their understanding obtained through individual study and the vocational knowledge gained during internships.
In particular graduates must:
- be able to recognise the clinical signs of local and systemic disease in the oral cavity, as well as the morphological and functional aspects of dental health;
- be able to recognise the vital signs and practice first aid manoeuvres in the working environment;
- be able to practice a full range of operating procedures relating to their professional profile, following the instructions of the dentist and within a context of global patient treatment without producing any additional risks for the patient;
- be able to work with other professions in planning oral prevention interventions in the community, based on their knowledge of the principles and practices of community dentistry;
- be able to control cross-infection in the exercise of their profession;
- know and apply anti-tobacco counselling techniques, motivating patients to oral hygiene at home, regular check-ups and a healthy diet for the protection of oral health;
- be able to work with other members of the dental team (dentist, dental assistant, administrative staff, orthodontist and oral surgeon).
The teaching tools used to achieve the ability to apply knowledge include intense laboratory work at single work stations and clinical internships working with patients, as well as the design, production and presentation of assignments and scientific works, analysed individually or in groups. Assessment of knowledge and understanding is based on periodical tests during the internship and the relative exams, aiming to check the acquisition of manual, technical and operational skills in the various clinical activities performed by this professional profile.