Certificate in Pediatric Dentistry Sciences

In Venezuela, according to the last census in the country, 40.3% of the population are under 15 years old. 68.45% of this population suffer from oral diseases, which go untreated since early childhood and, because of their degree of complexity, end up requiring a highly trained professional not only with specialized care abilities but also with well-developed research skills and therefore able to solve diagnostic and therapeutic questions necessary to efficiently meet the oral health needs of this important segment of the population. This situation is similar or worse in other Latin American countries.

The Certificate in Pediatric Dentistry Sciences based on the resolution of problems that UNICAL offers in alliance with the Faculty of Dentistry of the University of Carabobo, by its own nature, gives the possibility to the general dentists to acquire clinical skills in the area of the Pediatric Dentistry, as well as to systematically learn the elements of research methodology allowing them to generate a scientific product.

This Certificate is characterized by clinical practice developed with a focus on praxis-based induction which consists of the formation of competences centered in the search for predisposing or Etiologic factors linked to genetics and the environment, through clinical protocols designs accomplished by substantiated evidence or the development of research work carried out by the participants.

This 350-hr Certificate, a component of UNICAL’s Master in Health Sciences – Odontopediatrics, has the following objectives:

General Objectives

Effectively increase the clinical and research expertise that help participants develop skills to provide comprehensive dental care to children and adolescents, under an approach humanist and scientist, incorporating the basic tools of new technologies to do so.

Specific Objectives

• Design and implement the research data collection plan
• Recognize different types of quantitative and qualitative analysis of the research data.
• Present clinical cases of Pediatric Dentistry.
• Perform introductory clinical practice on Pediatric Dentistry.
• Apply different principles related to children in the development of the clinical practice of Pediatric Dentistry.
• Apply the latest basic knowledge that constitute the broad field of cariology, to apply them in solving clinical problems.
• Apply the latest basic knowledge on dental restorative dentistry, to apply them in solving clinical problems.
• Solve clinical problems of pulp therapy in Pediatric Dentistry and pulp therapy in young permanent teeth.
• Perform occlusion diagnostics.
• Solve clinical problems of oral pathology and surgery in Pediatric Dentistry patients.
• Perform dental consultations of the pregnant teenager and their babies.
• Responsibly manage community programs of Pediatric Dentistry care.
• Submit a final research project.

• Design and implement the research data collection plan
• Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the research data.
• Methodology for the presentation of clinical cases
• Introduction to the practice of Pediatric Dentistry.
• Basic dentistry principles
• Cariology.
• Restorative dental in pediatric dentistry.
• Pulp therapy in pediatric dentistry
• Pulp therapy in permanent teeth.
• Evolution of the primary, mixed and permanent dentition.
• Diagnosis of occlusion.
• Clinical considerations of surgery and Pathology in Pediatric Dentistry.
• Dental care for the pregnant teenager and the newborn (Baby Clinic).
• Community Pediatric Dentistry care.
• Research Project presentation.