Dental Education in Lithuania

1
Dental Education in Lithuania

• Dr. Julija Narbutaite,
• Kaunas University of Medicine
• Lithuania

2
History of the Faculty

• Education of the dentists in Lithuania has been
  started in year 1922, when University of
  Lithuania was established. There were two
  subdivisions Faculty of Medicine and Department
  of Odontology.
• Later on, in 1930 University of Lithuania was
  renamed into Vytautas Magnus University.
• In year 1950 the Vytautas Magnus University was
  reorganized into two Institutes Technical and
  Medical with faculties of Medicine and
  Stomatology - Pharmacy.
• Faculty of Stomatology Pharmacy was reorganized
  into two faculties Pharmacy and Stomatology in
  year 1968.
• In year 2003 Faculty of Stomatology there was
  renamed into Faculty of Odontology.

3
Two programs

• Dentistry. Master degree and
• professional qualification
• of doctor odontologist.
• Dental hygiene. Bachelor degree
• and professional qualification
• of dental hygienist

4
Structure of the studies at the Faculty of
Odontology
Secondary school graduation certificate
Studies at the faculty of Odontology 5 years
(200 credits)
Vocational training
Professional activities
Postgraduate education
PhD studies
Habilitation
5
The aim of the curriculum

• to develop well educated personality who
  would be able to combine and use knowledge,
  skills and judgements and have appropriate
  attitudes to deliver a high standard of
  professional care in odontology

6
Objectives of the curriculum

• to teach the practical skills needed to prevent
  disease and restore the dentition alongside the
  biological basis of the treatment
• to provide students with fundamental university
  knowledge, to give basics for independent work
  and postgraduate studies
• to provide students with the basic knowledge in
  medicine and prevention relevant to practicing in
  dentistry

7
The structural subdivisions of the Faculty are
Clinics

• Clinic of Dental and Oral Diseases
• Clinic of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Clinic of Prosthodontics
• Clinic of Oral Health and Paedodontics
• Clinic of Orthodontics

8
Curriculum consists of 8 000 hours or 200 KMU
(300 ECTS) credits
9
Subjects in curriculum
21 elective subjects
10
Speciality subjects studies
11
Teaching and learning methods
Teaching staff 71 clinical instructors and
research workers, 9 professors and 13
associated professors.

• Lectures
• Practical sessions
• Seminars
• Self studies

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Key points of assessment

• Fundamental university education
• Medical sciencies
• Pre-clinical odontology

Pre-clinical studies
Examinations - theoretical knowledge and
practicalphantom skills
Clinical odontology studies

• Human diseases
• Clinical odontology

Examinations - in all dental subjects
restorative dentistry, oral surgery, perio-,
endo-, paedo- , orthodontics , etc.
Final state examination
13
Final state examination

• Assessment of the practical skills and
  competences
• Comprehensive case histories
• Examination of the patient
• Treatment plan
• Diagnosis
• Implementation of the treatment plan at the
  chairside
• Assessment of the theoretical knowledge
• Written MCQ test (200 questions)

14
Quality control within the curriculum

• University Studies Quality Control Commission
  annualy perform assessment of the curriculum.
• Anonymous poll is performed among the students
  with questionnaires.
• Results are presented by the Commission and
  discussed at the Rectorate and Faculty Board.

15
Research activities at the faculty

• Etiology, pathogenesis and clinical
  manifestations of facial pain and trauma.
  Development of modern methods of treatment and
  diagnosis.
• Etiology, pathogenesis of oral diseases. Defining
  of treatment needs. Risk factors of dental caries
  and periodontal diseases evaluation of different
  preventive strategies.
• Epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment and prevention
  of malocclusions.
• Modelling of biomechanical events of human
  stomatognatic system and prognosis of their
  function in physiological and pathological
  conditions.

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Number of the students

• I year 129 (11 foreign)
• II year 142 (27 foreign)
• III year 109 (16 foreign)
• IV year 119 (18 foreign)
• V year 111 (18 foreign)
• 
  Total 610 (90)

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• 4 513 dentists graduated in period 1922-2008
• In year 2008/2009 there are 111 graduate students
  at the faculty.
• According to the data of Lithuanian Dental
  Chamber there are 3 700 dentists and 290 dental
  hygienists.
• 80 female and 20 male.

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Dentists per 100 000 population (WHO data, 2007)
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Specialities in postgraduate education

• Endodontology
• Periodontology
• Oral surgery
• Prosthodontics
• Orthodontics
• Pedodontics
• Maxillo-facial surgery

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• Oral heath status among children and adolescents

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Oral health status among pregnant women

• Number of participants 1070.
• Age between 15 and 45 years.
• Prevalence of dental caries was 99.9.
• DMFT was 12.
• Prevalence of periodontal diseases was 93.1.
• Oral hygiene was satisfactory according to index
  OHI-S (Green-Vermillion) 1.5.

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Oral health status among 3 year olds in Lithuania

• Number of examined children 950.
• Prevalence of dental caries was 50.6.
• dmft was 2.1. (d - 1.94 (91.9) f 0.17 (8.1),
  and no extracted teeth).
• Oral hygiene according to index Silness Loë was
  good.
• Prevalence of baby bottle caries was 6.45 with
  mean dmft 8.

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Prevalence of dental caries among 3 year olds in
different countries
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Oral health status among the first grade
schoolchildren

• Age was 6-7 years.
• Prevalence of dental caries in primary dentition
  was 86 and df-t - 3.4.
• Prevalence of dental caries in permanent
  dentition was 34 with DMFT 0.6
• Mostly affected teeth were first molars and
  comprise 69.4 of all affected permanent teeth.

25
Mean dmft among 6-year-olds in different
countries (WHO)
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Dental caries among 12 year olds

• Number of examined schoolchildren 1035.
• Prevalence was 74 (between 60 and 97).
• DMFT was 2.4
• filled - 53.6 (F -1.26),
• decayed - 45.1 (D 1.06),
• extracted - 1.3 (M 0.05).
• Prevalence of periodontal diseases was 47.4.

27
Mean DMFT among 12 year olds in different
countries (Widstrom E, 2004)
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Oral hygiene

• Oral hygiene was satisfactory according to index
  OHI-S (Green-Vermillion) 1.4.
• Data from nationwide survey on health behaviour
  and life style, which was carried out in 41
  country in 1994, 1998, 2002, 2004. Survey is a
  part of study Health Behavior in School-Aged
  Children (HBSC), a WHO Cross-National Survey.
• Schoolchildren who brush their teeth twice a day
  with a toothpaste.
• Age of the respondents was 11,13 and 15 years.

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Girls brushing their teeth more than once a day
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Boys brushing their teeth more than once a day
31
Prevalence of dental caries among 12-yer-olds in
period 1983-2006
32
DMFT among Lithuanian 12-yer-olds in period
1983-1994