Certificate in Oral Health Education - Correspondence

The course starts in mid March leading to the exam in September (6 months) and then again in September, leading to the exam in March.

You are looking to spend at least 3 – 4 hours a week completing the work. This is the same as if you were going to night school one night a week.

You will sit the exam at a centre near to you. This will be in the UK & is normally a major city or at a dental hospital. The exam board designate the centres. This is the only time you will have to go anywhere. You can contact the exam board to ask where your nearest centre would be.

You would gain the Cert in Oral Health, which is a main post grad qualification for anyone wanting to do the therapist / hygienist course, or work within Oral Health Promotion. You will also be able to claim verifiable CPD hours towards your registration with the GDC.

Theory:
The course follows the syllabus set out by the Exam Board for Dental Nurses.
Each week you have a set amount of work to complete, just as you would do at night school. The work is in an easy to follow and understand format & is available on paper or CD. You are allocated a tutor that you can contact if you get stuck or need further clarification on a subject. You send work to your tutor at regular intervals so your tutor can feedback to you on any revision needed. The course material will prepare you for the written examination.

Practical
As part of the exam you are expected to complete some practical tasks in your workplace. Your tutor will help. These tasks are submitted in written form to the examining board before the exam.
Work place assessments:
See 7 patients in total from different patient groups, 4 of these must be seen on 2 occasions. You will be delivering oral health message to patients covering a number of topics such as caries, periodontal disease, orthodontics, fluoride etc. At least 5 patient groups should be covered such as child, adult, older person, pregnant mother etc and all specified topics must be covered (See skills check).
Case studies:
1 detailed case study is required of a chosen patient. A syllabus will be provided which will provide guidance as to what to include in the case study, this must be followed to meet the criteria. This will demonstrate evidence of further reading and reflective practice.
Exhibition / Display:
Plan, prepare and display an exhibition on a certain topic concerned with oral health. E.g. display on preventing tooth decay in toddlers.

The Exam (held twice a year, March & September)
A 90 minute examination which consists of a written paper to assess underpinning knowledge and understanding. This is made up of 45 multiple choice (MCQ) and 30 extended matching questions (EMQ).
Practical work: detailed reports would have been submitted to the examining board.

At the beginning of the study module you will find a study guide. The module is split into 16 weeks of learning. At the end of each section, you will find revision tasks. It is suggested that you read the revision tasks before starting the section to see if there are any tasks that need to be carried out in your workplace. The revision tasks are part of the syllabus. The self assessment tasks are for you to complete at the end of each section.