PAEDIATRIC DENTISTRY

[135ME]
a.a. 2025/2026

Second semester

Frequency Mandatory

  • 6 CFU
  • 60 hours
  • Italian
  • Trieste
  • Obbligatoria
  • Oral Exam
  • SSD MED/38, MED/28
Curricula: COMMON

Structured into the following modules:

Syllabus

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING: At the end of the course, students will have to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the pediatric dentistry principles’, of the materials and instruments used, the preventive measures of oral pathologies in children and the modalities of interaction with children, identify the main malocclusions and gnathological problems, acquire knowledge suitable for interpreting signs and symptoms concerning systemic pathologies involving the dental system and the oral mucosa.
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING: At the end of the course, the student must be able to perform the main preventive techniques in pediatric dentistry and orthodontics and know how to deal with care problems typical of the pediatric age.
MAKING JUDGEMENTS: At the end of the course, students will have to be able to critically analyse individual clinical cases differentiating diagnostic and therapeutic paths according to the young age of the patient and choose the most appropriate preventive treatment in relation to the clinical situation.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS: At the end of the course the students will have to be able to speak and discuss appropriately, using the specific terminology acquired through the lectures, the teaching materials and the recommended books and be able to communicate oral health information effectively.
LEARNING SKILLS: At the end of the course, students must demonstrate that they are able to apply the knowledge, skills and the minimum competencies described in this Syllabus.


General knowledge of biochemistry, physiology, and anatomy

The Course aims to teach the student:
-how to positively interact with the child patient and his parents
-how to talk to and examine the patient
-how to compile the dental record
- how to prepare a preventive treatment plan of the most common childhood oral diseases
- how to use fluoride in the caries prevention
- how to apply dental sealants
-how to educate the young patients to the correct oral hygiene and diet habits.
- know the aspects of the child's growth
- know the main pathologies of the child: FEVER; VOMIT; DIARRHEA
- Know the general criteria for organizing a screening project.
- Know the basis of the orthodontic diagnosis in terms of malocclusions
- Know how to perform a correct hygienic protocol for the orthodontic patient.

Vincenza Birardi, Giuseppe Gola: Compendio clinico di odontoiatria
infantile , Edi Ermes
Lecture notes provided by the lecturer
Franco Panizon
Cari genitori: Piccola guida alla salute del bambino
Laterza

Pediatric Dentistry:
First contact with the child and the parents
Anatomy of primary teeth
Tooth eruption
Diagnosis in paediatric dentistry
Oral pathology in children
Dental caries, caries susceptibility
Baby bottle syndrome
Periodontal disease
Prevention of oral diseases and preventive education for the child and parents:
• Pre-birth prevention
• Prevention in high caries-risk subjects
• Systemic and topical fluoride prophylaxis
• Pits and fissure sealants
• Diet
• Oral hygiene
• Follow up of the patient

Pediatrics for problems.
FEVER
Fever and grade of fever.
The causes of fever: infectious, immunological, oncological. Fever and genetics. Diagnostics laboratory and image.
VOMITING
Vomiting in the child: acute (infectious gastroenteritis), cyclic vomiting (abdominal migraine). Diagnostic tools image.
DIARRHEA
Child's age, dehydration, weight, rehydration.
GROWTH
The percentiles and caloric requirements. Dentition and associated diseases. Nutrition and dental hygiene. Caries and nutrition, preventive measures of caries
ORAL DISEASES IN CHILDREN Behcet’s Disease; PFAPA; Recurrent Oral Aphtosis
SCREENING
General criteria for organizing a screening project.
Orthodontics
- orthodontic purpose and definition
- development of the dentition. Classification of the dentition: deciduous, mixed, permanent
- concept of normal occlusion, classification and etiology of malocclusions
- diagnosis and treatment plan: first visit, pattern analysis, diagnostic records, radiographic examinations,cephalometric tracing
- interceptive orthodontics
- vicious habits
- gnathology: definition, TMJ anatomy
- TMJ pathologies
- notions of hygiene in the orthodontic patient


Lectures with original material power point or videos, interactive lessons with presentation of clinical cases, execution of rapid, simple diagnostic tests

slides of the lectures available on Moodle and Teams

Verification of learning will be carried out through written partial oral tests in Paediatrics and Orthodontics and partial oral tests with open questions in Pedodontics, the results of which will be published using the "Partial tests" IT tool provided by the Esse3 platform. During the partial tests, the correct understanding of the contents of the individual modules of the integrated course will be verified.

A single final exam date in which the Commission will proceed to verify the overall results of the integrated Course and the related verbalization will be planned.

Grading
30: excellent knowledge of the topics and excellent language skills; the student is able to brilliantly apply theoretical knowledge to concrete cases and promptly connect the notions.
27-29: good knowledge of the topics, notable language skills, good analytical ability; the student is able to correctly apply theoretical knowledge to concrete cases and connect the notions.
24-26: good knowledge of the main topics, fair command of language; the student shows an adequate ability to apply theoretical knowledge to concrete cases.
21-23: the student does not demonstrate full mastery of the main topics of the course, despite possessing the fundamental knowledge; requires the intervention of the teacher to answer the questions correctly; However, it shows satisfactory language properties.
18-20: minimal knowledge of the main teaching topics and technical language, limited ability to adequately apply theoretical knowledge to concrete cases.

To pass the exam, the student must obtain an evaluation of ≥ 18 in the partial test. He/she cannot refuse the grade of the partial test, but only the grade of the entire integrated course and, in this case, he/she will have to repeat all partial tests.
The grade of the partial test is valid until the extraordinary session of the academic year.
The final grade of the integrated course exam derives from the weighted average, weighted on the CFU of each module, obtained from each partial test. For the purposes of defining the average, the value of 1 point is attributed to any honors obtained in the partial test, i.e. the grade of 30 and honors in the partial test corresponds numerically to the score of 31. To attribute honors to the final exam grade, a weighted average calculated from the various modules’ partial tests >30.5 will be necessary.

This course treats topics closely connected to one or more objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of United Nations

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