Epidemiology
Course Description
Overview: Introduction to Epidemiology
This page introduces the importance of epidemiology in dentistry, highlighting how disease patterns and risk factors can inform clinical practice and public health initiatives.
Measures of Disease Frequency in Epidemiology
Learn about key measures like incidence, prevalence, and mortality rates, which quantify the burden of diseases within populations, essential for public health planning.
Calculating and Interpreting Measures of Disease Frequency
This page provides detailed formulas and interpretation methods for calculating disease frequency, very important for understanding population health and disease risk in clinical settings.
The Role of Study Designs in Epidemiology
Look at the different study designs used in epidemiology, including cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies, and how they contribute to understanding disease causes and effects.
Cross-Sectional Studies: A Snapshot of Health
This page explains how cross-sectional studies assess the prevalence of diseases at a single point in time, helping identify associations between risk factors and health outcomes.
Cohort Studies: Following Populations Over Time
Cohort studies track groups of individuals over time to examine disease development and identify risk factors, providing insights into causality.
Case-Control Studies: Comparing Those With and Without Disease
Learn about case-control studies, which compare individuals with a disease to those without, offering valuable insights into potential causes of rare diseases.
Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs): The Gold Standard
RCTs are considered the gold standard for testing interventions, providing robust evidence on the effectiveness of treatments and preventive measures.
Systematic Reviews: Synthesising the Evidence
Systematic reviews critically appraise and summarise evidence from multiple studies, providing comprehensive insights that inform clinical practice and future research.
Determinants of Health in Epidemiology
Understand the various determinants of health—biological, behavioural, environmental, and social—that influence individual and population-level oral health outcomes.
Environmental and Social Determinants of Health
Look at how environmental and social factors, such as access to dental care and socioeconomic status, affect oral health disparities and inform public health initiatives.
Application of Epidemiological Data in Patient Management
Learn how to integrate epidemiological data into clinical decision-making, assessing patient risk and tailoring care to improve individual and population health outcomes.
Tailoring Preventive Strategies and Treatment Planning
Discover how to use epidemiological data to design and implement targeted preventive strategies and personalised treatment plans to manage oral diseases effectively.
Evaluating the Impact of Epidemiology on Public Health Initiatives
This page discusses how epidemiology informs public health programmes, assessing their effectiveness in addressing oral health issues at the population level.
Evaluating and Adapting Public Health Initiatives
Learn how to use epidemiological data to evaluate and adapt public health interventions, ensuring their long-term success in reducing oral disease.
Ethical Considerations in Epidemiological Research
Examine the ethical principles governing epidemiological research, including informed consent, beneficence, and justice, ensuring the protection of research participants.
The Legacy of Unethical Research
This page looks at historical examples of unethical research, highlighting the lessons learned and the ethical standards now enforced to protect human subjects in research.