MSc Advanced Periodontal Practice

Program Overview

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Please note that for 2023 entry, the deadline to apply for this course is 12:00pm on Wednesday 05th July 2023. Do you have the enhanced skills in advanced care that are needed in the new dental contract? Dental practices who do are likely to be commissioned to provide specialised services under the proposed new dental contract. Periodontology is just one of those specialised services you could be commissioned to do. If you are a registered dental hygienist or dental hygienist/therapist, our MSc Advanced Periodontal Practice course provides an educational route for you to acquire advanced skills and knowledge in periodontology:

• Gain experience in our purpose-built dental skills labs and clinical patient care facilities
• Make your studies fit around your busy working life through our flexible study options
• Expand your knowledge and interests in a broad range of dental disciplines
• Learn from experienced clinicians who provide expert oral health care in clinical settings
• Reinforce and enhance the skills which are required for everyday clinical practice

You gain a broad and critical understanding of the key concepts underlying clinical periodontal practice. At Essex, you critically appraise research findings and develop your own evidence-based practice. The School of Health and Social Care is proud to work closely with our Service User Reference Group (SURG). SURG is made up of service users, carers, and volunteers who generously share their first-hand experiences of health and social care. We work collaboratively with SURG to design our courses to ensure that we truly are putting the needs of patients and clients at the heart of what we do. SURG are involved as part of our course application processes and often form part of our interview panels. This helps us to be confident that we are selecting the right applicants for the course and their future careers. SURG members also support the delivery of our teaching sessions and research activity, which means you’ll benefit from an insight into their lived experiences of living with a diagnosis, health condition, or circumstance. You’ll find that not only does your clinical knowledge expand, but your empathy, compassion and ability to advocate develops also. You can find out more about SURG by reading their blog here . If you are a dentist we also offer our MSc Periodontology , which provides an educational route, by credit accumulation, to acquire the abilities and knowledge of a dentist with enhanced skills. Why we're great.

• Reinforce and enhance your skills required for everyday clinical practice, by learning from experienced clinicians
• Acquire a broad and critical understanding of the key concepts underlying clinical periodontal practice
• Gain advanced skills and knowledge in our purpose-built facilities for developing dental skills and patient care

Specialist facilities

The School of Health and Social Care is located at two sites; in the Kimmy Eldridge building at our Colchester Campus and in the Gateway Building at our Southend Campus. The Oral Health Science facilities are centred in the Gateway Building, and MSc Periodontology is taught not only at our Southend Campus but also in our purpose built academic dental clinic. We offer clinical laboratories with the very latest equipment and IT facilities - in particular, a state-of-the-art dental skills lab with the latest simulation ‘phantom heads’ to practise on.

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Your future

Our MSc Advanced Periodontal Practice offers you many opportunities to further your career:

• Academic and clinical teaching practice
• Academic development
• Development of the profession
• Enhanced clinical skills
• Enhanced professional practice
• Hospital practice
• Local professional networks, local dental committees, and British Dental Association groups
• Medico-legal (expert witnesses)
• Mentoring

The MSc Advanced Periodontal Practice degree has propelled my career and enabled me to develop on my clinical skill set with a greater level of knowledge on the management of periodontal disease, in relation to appropriate assessment, diagnosis and treatment planning of complex cases; and an appreciation of the importance that research has and the impact of evidence- based practice in obtaining successful of treatment outcomes. The MSc Advanced Periodontal Practice degree has also brought about an increased number of employment opportunities and placed me in an incredible niche position in both the corporate and independent dental care setting. Manjit Sandhu, MSc Advanced Periodontal Practice

Program Outline

Course structure

Postgraduate study is the chance to take your education to the next level. These carefully selected modules will give you the chance to explore, question, and create powerful ideas. Picked to give you an extensive and in-depth education, they’ll equip you with the specialist knowledge, vital transferrable skills, and the confidence to make a genuine difference to the world around you. Our MSc Advanced Periodontal Practice provides an educational route, by credit accumulation, for you to acquire advanced skills and knowledge in periodontology. We’re reactive, we’re pioneering, we never stand still, so modules might change from year to year in response to new developments and innovation. Those listed below show how a typical course might look, but more detail on course structure, including details of all optional modules, is available on our Programme Specification . We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We’ll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, or in response to COVID-19, we’ll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

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Components

Components are the blocks of study that make up your course. A component may have a set module which you must study, or a number of modules from which you can choose. Each component has a status and carries a certain number of credits towards your qualification.

Status	What this means
Core	You must take the set module for this component and you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Core with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component but you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Compulsory	You must take the set module for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Compulsory with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Optional	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.

The modules that are available for you to choose for each component will depend on several factors, including which modules you have chosen for other components, which modules you have completed in previous years of your course, and which term the module is taught in.

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Modules

Modules are the individual units of study for your course. Each module has its own set of learning outcomes and assessment criteria and also carries a certain number of credits. In most cases you will study one module per component, but in some cases you may need to study more than one module. For example, a 30-credit component may comprise of either one 30-credit module, or two 15-credit modules, depending on the options available. Modules may be taught at different times of the year and by a different department or school to the one your course is primarily based in. You can find this information from the module code . For example, the module code HR100-4-FY means:

HR	100	4	FY
The department or school the module will be taught by. In this example, the module would be taught by the Department of History.	The module number.	The UK academic level of the module. A standard undergraduate course will comprise of level 4, 5 and 6 modules - increasing as you progress through the course. A standard postgraduate taught course will comprise of level 7 modules. A postgraduate research degree is a level 8 qualification.	The term the module will be taught in. AU : Autumn term SP : Spring term SU : Summer term FY : Full year AP : Autumn and Spring terms PS: Spring and Summer terms AS: Autumn and Summer terms

Year 1 Year 2 Final Year This module is designed to ensure you have a sound level of knowledge and skills within the subject area of periodontology and have an advanced understanding of the basic science associated with periodontal disease and therapy. View Introduction and Scientific Basis of Periodontology on our Module Directory This module is designed to ensure you have an advanced understanding of the principles associated with the clinical aspects of periodontal disease and therapy and their application to specialised practice. View Clinical Periodontology on our Module Directory This module is designed to ensure you are able to assess, diagnose and plan treatments for patients with a range of periodontal diseases at an advanced level. View Assessment Diagnosis and Treatment Planning on our Module Directory Become proficient at an advanced level in non-surgical management of patients with periodontal disease. Taught by clinical experts in periodontology, this module covers theoretical teaching, demonstration and teaching of clinical skills using simulation. View Non-Surgical Management of Periodontal Disease on our Module Directory This is a core module which has been specifically designed to ensure you become proficient at an advanced level in the management of periodontal patients with complex needs. You will be taught by clinical experts using a variety of teaching methods from theoretical to practical. View Surgical Management of Periodontal Disease on our Module Directory This module is designed to ensure you are proficient at an advanced level in the management of periodontal patients with complex needs. View Complex Case Management on our Module Directory View Using Evidence in Health Care Practice on our Module Directory This final module consolidates your learning and equips you to take your career forward with a range of skills and knowledge relevant to your professional practice. It is an opportunity to undertake an independent research project relevant to your field of practice. You will formulate a research question, plan and carry out the project, analyse and write up the results. You can undertake primary or secondary research, or audit/service evaluation or a library based critical literature review research project. If you are undertaking the MSc in Health Research you will undertake a primary or secondary research project, engaging with empirical data. View Dissertation on our Module Directory

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Teaching

• Practical skills classes, workshops and placements are used to integrate theory and practice

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Assessment

• You are assessed through course work, portfolio vivas, clinical assessment forms, presentations and essays
• You also conduct a research project/dissertation