Orthodontics

Orthodontics

Discipline: Orthodontics 
Educational degree: Master of Sciences 
Discipline category: Mandatory 
Course program  4 semesters: 4th through 10th inc.

Course level: Level M (Master’s Degree)

Academic grading mode: Present control, participation in topic presentations, written seminars (total of 4), written colloquia in test form (total of 4), practical examination, theoretical and oral examination; state examination.

Forms and methods of teaching Lectures, practical exercises, seminars, orthodontic clinical cases for discussion and interpretation, multimedia presentations.

Semestral practical and theoretical examination: Yes, 10th semester

Department: Orthodontics

Training course annotation: The training course in Clinical Orthodontics provides knowledge, skills and competence in diagnosis, prevention and clinical procedures, necessary for comprehensive organization and management of the dental care. 
To provide young specialists with clinical and diagnostic knowledge and competence for the implement of preventive and therapeutic activities in the dental care management according to the contemporary European standards for medical care:

• Linguistic competence: ability for prolific communication with patients and colleagues;
• Mathematical competence: ability to practice the biometric methods of evaluation with the required mathematical calculations;
• Digital competence: ability to learn and train in virtual environment, information exchange and use of specialized software;
• Personality, social and learning competencies: ability for critical self-awareness of own capabilities in the field of Orthodontics, clinical decision-making and appreciation for patient’s expectations and opinion. Promoting the personal, professional and social development of the undergraduate students determines the learning competence;
• Civil competence: professional conduct towards the patients and decision-making based on the medical ethics and duty.

Course outline: The course in Orthodontics consists of 241 academic hours, divided as follows:

• Lectures: 76 academic hours
• Practical training: 165 academic hours, including:

• Seminars: 8 academic hours
• Colloquia: 8 academic hours
• Orthodontic Prevention examination: 2 academic hours
• Practical examination: 4 academic hours

Grade forming – complex evaluation:

• Grading overall activity of the student during the educational course in Orthodontics;
• Grading of the patients’ orthodontic dossier documented by the student;
• Grading topic presentations by the student;
• Grading of written seminars and written colloquia in test form;
• Orthodontic prevention exam grade;
• Practical examination grade;
• Theoretical examination grade;
• State examination grade.

Aspects of the grade forming:

Part 1  

• Participation in discussions;
• Participation in clinical case reviews;
• Test examination;
• Presentation on an assigned topic.

Part 2  

• Orthodontic prevention grade and practical examination grade;

Part 3  

• Theoretical examination grade.

Present control – clinical cases discussion of the students’ group, management of orthodontic patient’s records, presentation on an assigned topic, written seminars, written colloquia in test form.

Practical examination – biometrical analysis of orthodontic study models in occlusion and wire element bending (Adams’s clasp, Schwarz’s clasp or protrusion spring). 
Exam duration: 1h 30 min.; discussion and grading – 1h 30 min.

Theoretical examination – one written and two oral questions.

State Examination: entry stop test, published in the web site of the Orthodontics Department; two theoretical questions; orthodontic clinical case.

Other – one written colloquium and one written seminar each semester.

Auxiliary teaching implements: Multimedia presentations, graphs, tests, orthodontic clinical cases for discussion and interpretation, models of therapeutic orthodontic appliances.

Objective of the course program: To provide young specialists with clinical knowledge of orthodontic nosological units, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and appliances, fundamental clinical competence, implementation of preventive care activities in the dental care management according to the contemporary European standards for medical care.

Course program tasks:

• To equip young specialists with knowledge and skills necessary for preventive and diagnostic orthodontic management of patients;
• To participate in orthodontic treatments with moderate severity.
• To be qualified for planning complex treatments involving periodontal-orthodontic, prosthetic-orthodontic and orthodontic-surgical collaboration.
• To identify and diagnose the orthodontic treatment need and properly refer the patients to other specialists.
• To control the retention period of the orthodontic treatment;
• To carry out conservative-periodontal sanation before the beginning of an orthodontic treatment.

Preliminary requirements: Before commencing their education in Orthodontics, the students are required to acquire basic knowledge of: human anatomy and physiology, pediatric dental medicine and preclinical prosthetic dental medicine.

Expected results: After completing the course in Orthodontics, graduate students are:

• To know normal occlusal relationships, nosological units in Orthodontics, the transitory discrepancies during natural physiological development of the dental arches and occlusion, tooth eruption time and dynamics and their variations, etiological factors for occurrence of dento-alveolar discrepancies, basic orthodontic prevention activities;
• To be able to diagnose dento-alveolar discrepancies, appoint the proper patient age for beginning of an orthodontic treatment, participate in complex interdisciplinary treatments with non-orthodontic interventions, carry out primary orthodontic prevention, participate in the control of mild dental Class I malocclusions with non-extraction treatment, maintain and sanate the dentition before and during the comprehensive orthodontic treatment;
• To interpret the results of main diagnostic methods in Orthodontics;
• To carry out basic activities of primary orthodontic prevention (excluding special needs children), timely referral of severe cases to an orthodontic specialist.

In connection with the September remedial session in Orthodontics, which will be held on 12.09.23 for students taught in the Bulgarian language, please be informed that the examinations in orthodontic prevention and practical examination will be held on the same date of 8.00 am on the 7th floor in FDM - Sofia. Please be at the indicated location at 7.45 am.

The Orthodontics exam for all announced dates will be held at 8,00 a.m. on the 7th floor of the Faculty of Dental Medicine - Sofia. Please be at the above mentioned place at 7,45 a.m.

IMPORTANT !!! 
The state exam in Orthodontics for students of the 6th year of dental medicine studying in English begins at 10:00 a.m. on the following dates:

-18, 20, 24, 27.04.2023; 
-02, 04, 11.05.2023.

DEAR STUDENTS, 
THE STATE EXAMINATION IN ORTHODONTICS WILL BE HELD ON THE 7TH FLOOR IN FDM - SOFIA, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE FOLLOWING DATES:

RE-SIT DATE FOR PRACTICAL EXAM AND ORTHODONTIC PREVENTION EXAM - 
09/27/2022, 8:00 a.m. ,  7th floor of FDM - Sofia.

Dear students, 
The semester exam consists of a written test with 45 questions and 2 oral questions. The test will be held on the date of the exam at 8.00 am in I and II halls /according to the schedule / for all groups on the particular date. Afterwards the exam continues on the 7th floor in the seminar halls of the Department of Orthodontics. Additional instructions will be given to you on the date .

EXAM SCHEDULE BY DATES:

14.06.22 г. – 1 –ST HALL FDM
15.06.22 г. – 1 –ST HALL FDM
17.06.22 г. – 1 –ST HALL FDM

12.07.22 г. – 1 –ST HALL FDM
13.07.22 г. – 1 –ST HALL FDM
14.07.22 г. – 2 –ND HALL FDM
15.07.22 г. – 1 –ST HALL FDM