Sorry, you need to enable JavaScript to visit this website.
Skip to main content

Basic Core Courses

Basic Core Courses

COURSE NO.

COURSE TITLE

CREDIT

DENS 510

Biostatistics in Dentistry

1 (1,0)**

DENS 511

Advanced Oral Biology

1 (1,0)** 

DENS 512

Advanced Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology

1 (1,0)**

DENS 513

General Epidemiology

1 (1,0)**

DENS 514

Applied Head and Neck Anatomy

1 (1,0)**

DENS 515

Advanced Oral & Maxillofacial Radiology

1 (1,0)**

DENS 516

Occlusion (Craniomandibular Dysfunction)

1 (1,0)**

DENS 517

Color Science, Biomechanics and Instrumentation

1 (1,0)**

DENS 518

Dental Materials

1 (1,0)**

DENS 520

Research Methods & Scientific Writing

1 (1,0)**

DENS 521

Clinical Dental Therapeutics

1 (1,0)**

DENS 522

Education Methods

1 (1,0)**

DENS 600

Research / Thesis

6 (0,6)    

 

Course Descriptions

 

 

DENS 510

Biostatistics in Dentistry

1

This didactic course is offered to all graduate students during the first year.  It is given in a manner which progressively combines basic with intermediate level statistical concepts, definitions and methods commonly applied to research and data analysis. Topics covered include variables, frequency distributions, sampling, measure of central tendency, variance, measure of dispersion, various statistical tests, analysis and probability.  The course also includes introduction to computer application in dental sciences. 

 

 

DENS 511

Advanced Oral Biology

1

This course is offered in the first year of graduate dental education. The lectures cover the development of the face, microanatomy of the hard dental tissues, oral mucous membrane, periodontium and salivary glands.  In addition, lectures cover various oral and dental structures, their functions, relationship and response to systemic and environmental influences. Clinical considerations are emphasized throughout the course in the lecture topics. Latest literature information on these topics and the current controversies on them are discussed. 

 

 

DENS 512

Advanced Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology

1

The design of this course recognizes the different but related requirements of graduate dental students and their intended specialty certifications. The course is mostly didactic.  In addition to the general topics of cell injury and death, inflammation, wound healing and infectious diseases, selected diseases of the teeth, periodontium, jaws, temporomandibular joint, muscles and nerves, oral mucous membrane and salivary glands will be covered. Etiopathogenesis, gross and microscopic appearances of these diseases and clinical considerations will be emphasized.

 

 

DENS 513

General Epidemiology

1

Principles and methods in the study of the distribution and determinants of diseases in human populations.  Emphasis is placed on the integration of biological and statistical elements in the sequence of epidemiologic reasoning that derives inferences about the etiopathology of diseases from population data.  Topics covered will include: agent, host and environment; statistical measures used in epidemiology; methods for organizing epidemiologic data; disease surveillance and investigations of disease outbreaks.  

 

 

DENS 514

Applied Head and Neck Anatomy

1

This half-year course is normally offered during the second half of the first year in the Department of Anatomy of the College of Medicine.  Topics reviewed highlight salient anatomical structures of the head and neck as applied to dentistry to reflect significant clinical considerations. The format of teaching is didactic. This is supplemented with selected practical sessions or laboratory audio-visual learning aids as may be decided.  Topics covered include but are not limited to facial skeleton, muscles of the face and mastication, the mouth, oropharynx and larynx, blood vessels, lymphatics and nerve supply of the oral cavity and of salivary glands.  

 

 

DENS 515

Advanced Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology

1

This course is offered in the first year of graduate dental education. The lecture-seminar format of teaching the course allows complementing didactic lectures or seminar topics with clinico-radiographic materials and radiological interpretations.  The course provides all graduate dental students the opportunity to refresh and add to their knowledge of radiation physics, radiation biology, hazards and protection, advanced imaging techniques and diagnostic oral radiology thereby enhancing clinical competence in their different specialties.  

 

 

DENS 516

Occlusion (Craniomandibular  Dysfunction)

1

The design of this course meets the requirements of graduate students in Prosthodontics, Restorative Dentistry and Orthodontics in particular and other students in general.

The course provides the background for the static and dynamic aspects of occlusion and its importance in clinical dentistry.  Topics on stomatognathic physiology and craniomandibular dysfunctions are adequately covered.  Engineering principles of mandibular motion to explain the articulator design principles of occlusion in natural and restored dentitions will be reviewed and presented, as necessary, in laboratory demonstrations. 

 

 

DENS 517

Color Science, Biomechanics & Instrumentation

1

This course is divided, as its title suggests, into three sections of importance to the dental specialist.  Proper dental function depends not only on proper material selection but also equally on proper device design. A successful dental device function is attained only when a properly selected material is also properly designed to yield a device that mechanically functions in harmony with the stomatognathic system.  While the nature of the materials renders the device physiologically compatible, proper design imparts it's biomechanical compatibility. The first section of the course therefore introduces the foundation of biomechanics of the stomatognathic system and biomechanical compatibility of prosthetic devices.  The second section of this course deals with color science as it applies to dentistry. Color is quite complex, yet, its appreciation is of paramount value to the prosthodontic specialist.  The course will be addressing light and properties of light including color, hue, value, chroma, additive and subtractive color mixing and metamerism.  Proper projection of the correct color (shade matching) will be achieved by the student. The third section of this course acquaints the student with research equipment commonly used in evaluating materials used in dentistry.  

 

 

DENS 518

Dental Biomaterials

1

The course addresses only four major systems used in dental practice together with the minimum basic materials science knowledge necessary to understand these systems.  The course also addresses physical evaluation of dental materials.  Thus, the course is not designed to just familiarize the student with these four dental materials systems, but designed to permit an understanding of why these materials behave the way they do and how they can be best used for patient's treatment. This is the first dental biomaterials course of the Post Graduate Program in Dental Science.  It provides advanced information about the structures of materials and provides detailed examples of how structure affects properties using common dental alloy systems.  It also provides advanced information on composites, bonding agents, and the new field of “Adhesive Dentistry.” The course is completed with information about endodontic, orthodontic, pedodontic, periodontic, and prosthodontic materials.  

 

 

DENS 520

Research Methods and Scientific Writing

1

The course was developed in the College of Dentistry as a core course for all students admitted to the M.Sc. (Dentistry) program regardless of the intended dental specialty certification. Traditionally, it is offered at the beginning of the second year for a semester.  The timing of the course facilitates the preparation of the research that a student intends to carry out for the mandatory Thesis of the M.Sc.  As the title of the course clearly indicates, the topics selected cover both the research methods and the art of scientific writing.

The College of Dentistry of King Saud University believes that research methods and scientific writing can be effectively taught graduate students in preference to allowing them to learn research methods and scientific writing by unstructured but intensive apprenticeship which some institutions still practice. 

 

 

DENS 521

Clinical Dental Therapeutics

1

This is a didactic course offered in the second year.  Pertinent aspects of basic pharmacological principles are correlated with drug therapy, anesthesia and conscious sedation in clinical dentistry.  Emphasis is placed on drugs and therapeutic agents most frequently used by the dentist, and on drug interactions and therapy in patients with medical problems of relevance to clinical dental practice.  Also included in the course are medical emergency situations that may be encountered in dental practice which any medical specialist must be able to cope with competently and bring under control.  Such medical situations are prevention of emergency, preparation for emergency, recognition and correction of syncope, hyperventilation, respiratory and circulatory difficulties, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, emergency tracheostomy, hemorrhage control and emergency treatment of adverse during reactions.

  

 

DENS 522

Education Methods

1

The course is designed to expose all graduate students, regardless of their future professional expectations, to methods of teaching and learning.  It is assumed that teaching professionally in the university, teaching dental interns and residents outside the university setting, presenting papers to professional and related bodies or organizations and participation in educational workshops, conferences and seminars all require a formal exposure to the strategy and tactics of teaching and learning.  Topics include nature of learning and teaching, curriculum development, instructional objectives, instructional media, audio-visual teaching and learning aids and assessment methods for knowledge, skills and attitude.  Students are encouraged to design and produce course objectives, self-instructional packages and to practice-teach undergraduates in their specialty courses.  

 

 

DENS 600

Research / Thesis

6

The monograph of the College of Graduate Studies of King Saud University states that a "Masters thesis should be characterized by novelty and originality......" Graduate students are expected to work independently with minimal supervision once a well-designed research protocol of the student is approved.  Original academic and independent critical approach, clear thinking, intellectual curiosity, thoroughness and accuracy in details are attributes which a graduate student should demonstrate in carrying out a research for the Master's degree thesis defence.  

The student is assisted in achieving the above by the complementary roles of the specialty program director, the graduate committee of the Department and the approved research supervisor.  The College of Graduate Studies has detailed the prescribed guidelines for the presentation of research prospectus and defence of thesis.  A graduate student must comply with these guidelines.

Last updated on : January 12, 2023 2:18am