Academic Resources
Competency Statements
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- Ethics and Professionalism
- Ethics: Make professional decisions that satisfy legal, societal and ethical principles.
- Provide care for all patients, including members of diverse and disadvantaged populations
- Critical Thinking and Information Management: Use self-evaluative skills to assess individual knowledge and abilities, to practice within the scope of one’s competence and make appropriate professional referrals, and to identify areas of deficiency to correct through lifelong learning
- Continually analyze the outcomes of patient treatment to improve patient care
- Use the scientific literature and information management resources to provide evidence-based care
- Community Health: Assume a role in improving the oral health of individuals, families, and groups in the community through diagnosis, treatment and education
- Communication: Obtain appropriate informed consent from patients, parents or guardians
- Communicate effectively with dental auxiliaries, dental laboratory technicians and other health care providers to ensure appropriate patient treatment
- Assessment and Diagnosis
- Examination of the Patient: Perform an examination that collects biological, psychosocial, clinical, radiographic, and other diagnostic/consultative information required to evaluate the health, oral conditions, needs, and expectations of patients of all ages
- Diagnosis: Recognize, diagnose, and interpret normal and abnormal conditions of the orofacial complex, occlusal and temporomandibular disease and craniofacial growth and development that require monitoring, treatment or management.
- Treatment Planning: Develop, present and discuss individual sequenced treatment plans for patients of all ages consistent with the patient’s condition, interest, goals and capabilities.
- Establishment and Maintenance of a Healthy Oral Environment
- Disease Prevention and Health Promotion: Recognize that many oral diseases (dental caries, periodontal disease, oral cancer, for example) are preventable and that risk assessments are an important component of the maintenance of optimal oral health for patients of all ages.
- Select, administer or prescribe pharmacological agents in the treatment of dental patients and manage complications arising from their use
- Management of Emergency Situations: Anticipate, diagnose, and provide initial treatment and follow-up management for medical emergencies that may occur during dental treatment
- Recognize and manage dental emergencies to include acute pain, hemorrhage, trauma, and infection of the orofacial complex
- Control of Pain and Anxiety: Employ pharmacological agents and techniques to manage orofacial discomfort and psychological distress
- Periodontal Therapy: Diagnose, treatment plan, comprehensively treat, and maintain patients with periodontal disease in the primary, mixed, and permanent dentitions
- Endodontics Therapy: Diagnose and treat diseases of pulpal and periradicular origin in the primary, mixed, and permanent dentitions
- Surgical Therapy: Diagnose and treat conditions requiring reparative surgical procedures on the hard and oral soft tissues
- Restorative/Prosthodontic Therapy: Provide single or multiple tooth restorations, with appropriate fixed or removable techniques, to restore anatomic form, function, and esthetics to patients of all ages.
- Practice Administration
- Establishing a Practice: Understand the business and legal principles necessary for the assessment, development and management of a dental practice
- Understand regulatory agency requirements for dental practices such as infection control and environment safety programs