Dec 07, 2025  
DRAFT 2026-2027 College Catalog DRAFT 
    
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DRAFT 2026-2027 College Catalog DRAFT [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

DHE 216 - Community and Dental Health Education

3 Contact Hours, 3 Credits
3 lecture periods 0 lab periods


Overview of public dental health education. Includes critiquing dental literature, community dental health planning, basic biostatistics, and epidemiology and research in the dental community. Also includes dental needs and demands, dental care delivery and prevention in the United States.

Information: Students must be admitted to the PCC Dental Hygiene program and obtain consent of the Dental Hygiene department before enrolling in this course.
Button linking to AZ Transfer course equivalency guide  

Course Learning Outcomes
  1. Critically evaluate dental literature and research studies related to public health practice
  2. Apply public health concepts to community dental health programs
  3. Apply biostatistics and epidemiology to dental public health
  4. Examine ethical and legal issues in dental public health research
  5. Analyze dental care delivery and prevention strategies in the U.S.
Performance Objectives:
  1. Analyze dental research studies by applying established review criteria and understanding the steps of the scientific method.
  2. Assess target populations, design evidence-based program plans, implement educational strategies, and conduct program evaluations to address community dental health needs.
  3. Demonstrate understanding of sampling methods, data analysis, and statistical decision-making to interpret public health data and draw meaningful conclusions.
  4. Collect, analyze, and interpret data for: central tendency, reliability, validity, and probability.
  5. Employ caries, gingival, periodontal, and other indices to assess and monitor community oral health trends and needs.
  6. Identify types of research commonly used in the dental field and evaluate the ethical and legal aspects that impact public health research.
  7. Evaluate current dental needs, demand, and public health initiatives aimed at improving access to preventive and therapeutic dental care in the United States.
  8. Discuss the history, benefits, and issues of water fluoridation in the United States.
  9. Develop a dental health presentation and demonstrate educational principles of learning based on the needs of a population.
Outline:
  1. Critiquing Dental Literature
    1. Criteria for review
    2. The scientific method
  2. Steps in Community Dental Health Program Planning
    1. Assessing the population
    2. Planning the program
    3. Implementing the program
      1. Education strategies
      2. Principles and methods
      3. Learning and teaching
    4. Evaluating the program
  3. Basic Biostatistics
    1. Sampling
    2. Data statistics
    3. Statistical decision making
  4. Epidemiology
    1. Caries indices
    2. Gingival and periodontal indices
    3. Other indices
  5. Research in the Dental Community
    1. Types of research
    2. Ethical and legal considerations in research
  6. Dental Needs and Demand in the United States
  7. Dental Care Delivery in the United States
  8. Prevention of Oral Disease in Public Health