Wilderness Expedition Dentistry

Module title	Wilderness Expedition Dentistry
Module code	HPDM137
Academic year	2023/4
Credits	15
Module staff	Burjor Langdana (Convenor)

Duration: Term	1	2	3
Duration: Weeks	8

Number students taking module (anticipated)	12

Module description

Wilderness Expedition Dentistry is a branch of medicine that addresses prevention, assessment and management of accidents and emergencies associated with the orofacial region in remote settings where definitive care is often days or weeks away. This is a rapidly evolving field of increasing importance as more people engage in potentially hazardous and longer expeditions.

This module builds on knowledge and skills introduced in the Extreme Medicine Masters programme ‘Core Concepts’ module in year 1. The course can be completed in an online environment but there may be supplementary opportunity to review the practical skills in workshop format as a formative learning experience.

Module aims - intentions of the module

In this module you will critically examine the challenges of providing safe and effective dental care in an austere environment. You will focus not only on the prevention of dental issues to be expected in the field, but also the evaluation and treatment phase.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

1. Evalute and assess the key factors that underpin a safe and accurate assessment of dental pain
2. Determine the scope of dental emergency management available in remote environments and evaluate the skills that are within the scope of other members of the medical team,

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

3. Demonstrate competence and understanding in the planning and provision of safe, effective dental cover for an expedition
4. Apply critical appraisal skills to managing dental emergencies in extreme environments

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

5. Collaborate with peers to experience the value of shared and supported learning in a high fidelity context
6. Evalute the organisational, management and professional skills necessary for the provision of the extended range of advanced treatment procedures

Syllabus plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, an example of an overall structure is as follows:

Diagnoses and management of common dental emergencies in an austere setting.
Understanding the process and rationale for different techniques of giving dental local anaesthesia.
Temporary dental filling.
An understanding of simple dental trauma & basic management approach
Principles involved in simple dental extraction.
Understand the necessity and technique of incising & draining a dental abscess.
Emergency management of primary facial trauma
Emergency management of atraumatic jaw joint dislocation

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
30	120	0

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	30	23 Online Lectures covering 8 specialist topic areas
Guided Independent Study	80	Reading and preparation for scheduled sessions and coursework. Web-based learning; resource gathering and in-depth reading during the period of module delivery.
Guided Independent Study	40	Preparation and writing of assignments

Formative assessment

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Group reflection and discussion* *the workshop environment is optional for students and may not be available for every course iteration	Separate workshop where available*	1-6	Verbal

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
100	0	0

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Written assignment 1	50	1000 words	1-6	Written
Written assignment 2	50	1000 words	1-6	Written
	0
	0
	0
	0

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Written assignment 1, 1000 words (50%)	Written assignment 1	1-6	Typically within six weeks of the result
Written assignment 2, 1000 words (50%)	Written assignment 2	1-6	Typically within six weeks of the result

Re-assessment notes

Please refer to the TQA section on Referral/Deferral: http://as.exeter.ac.uk/academic-policy-standards/tqa-manual/aph/consequenceoffailure/

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Basic reading:

Oxford Handbook of Expedition and Wilderness Medicine. 2nd Edition Chris Johnson, Sarah R Anderson, Jon Dallimore, Chris Imray, Shane Winser, James Moore and David A. Warrell—Oxford University Press, May 2015. ISBN: 9780199688418. £34.99

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

Web based and electronic resources:

Dental Problems and Emergencies of Trekkers—Epidemiology and Prevention. Results of the ADEMED Expedition 2008 https://wildernessdentistry.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Dental-problems-and-emergencies-of-trekkers-epidemiology-and-prevention.-Results-of-the-ADEMED-Expedition-2008.-Kupper-High-altitude-medicine-biology-2014.pdf
Dental problems in the offshore oil and gas industry: a review https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/eeb9/ae909cb21dddd95cc313fc94d6256c2bbc2e.pdf
Updated Guidance for Medical Provision for Wilderness Medicine https://fphc.rcsed.ac.uk/media/2770/updated-guidance-on-medical-provision-for-wilderness-medicine.pdf
Toothpaste suggestions, tailored to type of expedition & Individual. https://www.theadventuremedic.com/features/expedition-dentistry-toothpastes/
Microbiology and Treatment of Acute Apical Abscesses. https://cmr.asm.org/content/26/2/255
Management of maxillofacial trauma in emergency: An update of challenges and controversies. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4843570/
Floating in the Face of Danger: MaxFax injuries in the ED. https://www.rcemlearning.co.uk/foamed/floating-in-the-face-of-danger-maxfax-injuries-in-the-ed/
Use of Masseteric and Deep Temporal Nerve Blocks for Reduction of Mandibular Dislocation. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2662506/
AM guide to managing jaw joint dislocation on expedition. (Soon to be published) https://www.theadventuremedic.com/category/dental/

Key words search

dental, maxilla-facial, dental trauma, teeth, jaw

Credit value	15
Module ECTS	7.5
Module pre-requisites	None
Module co-requisites	None
NQF level (module)	7
Available as distance learning?	Yes
Origin date	27/07/2020
Last revision date	27/07/2020