Overview
Learn how to become a dentist and what that means
Are you fascinated by the world of dentistry? Try our 6-week course by the University of Sheffield and learn the essentials of dentistry from leading dental experts.
You’ll explore the intricacies of what dentists do, learn how to become a dentist and discover the rich history of dentistry.
Understand tooth anatomy and development
To start with, you’ll meet the dental team and receive a tour of the dental surgery. You’ll experience a dental check-up with experts and discover the basics of tooth anatomy and development by looking at 3D models.
Find out if you’ve been brushing your teeth the right way, and glimpse into the different dental specialities. Learn what an oral pathologist does and experience a virtual tour of a tooth.
Learn about dental treatments and different dental materials
You may be familiar with dental treatments such as dentures and crowns, but you’ll discover more about dental restoration in this course.
We’ll be thinking about dental materials that can be used to restore and replace teeth, including plastics, ceramics and metals such as gold and titanium.
Discover the future of dentistry and dental public health
In the final few weeks, we’ll be thinking about the future of teeth and how to care for the teeth of a population. From water fluoridation to diet effects, teeth are not immune to damage.
Spark your curiosity and take a look at current research in dentistry, such as nerve regeneration and tissue engineering. The future of dentistry holds many exciting possibilities.
To finish, you’ll get the chance to learn how to become a dentist and get a valuable introduction to studying dentistry degrees.
This course is for anyone interested in dentistry or science and is designed to be enjoyed without prior knowledge.
It would be especially valuable for dentistry professionals, or anyone thinking of entering the profession.
Due to the highly visual nature of dentistry, a small number of exercises in the course, unfortunately, won’t be accessible to learners with visual impairment.
Syllabus
- Discover dentistry
- Welcome to Week 1
- A brief history of dentistry
- The Dental Team
- Week 1 Summary and quiz
- Teeth and their care
- Welcome to Week 2
- Introduction to tooth development, shape and function
- A dental checkup
- Instruments and charting
- How to brush like a pro!
- Week 2 Summary and quiz
- Oral disease and trauma
- Welcome to Week 3
- Meet the specialists
- It’s not all about teeth!
- Oral Pathology
- Your dental experiences
- Week 3 Summary and quiz
- Restoring and replacing teeth
- Welcome to Week 4
- The history of dental materials
- Dental restoration and dental materials
- Modern dental materials
- Do try this at home: Kitchen experiments
- Week 4 Summary and quiz
- Caring for a population’s teeth
- Welcome to Week 5
- What is Dental Public Health?
- Discussion: The Big Issues
- Discussion: Your diet
- Dental ethics and the law
- Week 5 Summary
- The future of teeth
- Welcome to Week 6
- Current research in dentistry
- Final course assessment
- Farewell video