EFCD Curriculum for undergraduate students in Integrated Conservative Oral Healthcare (ConsCare)

Excerpt

The majority of dentists after graduation practice within a general oral healthcare setting. As such, most of their clinical care aims to prevent and manage pathological damage to teeth and adjacent tissues [1]. With respect to restorative care, historically, this management fell under the umbrella of “operative dentistry” [2]. This terminology, however, is not used ubiquitously, with some countries retaining the term “operative dentistry” while others have introduced “cariology,” or combinations of these and other terms. With the emergence of distinct branches of dentistry, specifically cariology (the prevention and clinical control or management of dental caries), endodontology (the preservation and treatment of the dental pulp), periodontology (the care of periodontal and associated tissues), and prosthodontics (the replacement of missing teeth and other oral structures), “operative dentistry” became “conservative dentistry” in many countries of the world. It refers to the management of the sequelae of dental caries, tooth wear, trauma, and other disorders of dental hard tissues (e.g., erosion and molar incisor hypomineralization), including the techniques and procedures for the management and replacement of lost and defective dental tissues and restorations in individual teeth. It embraces everything from the prevention of caries and procedures for remineralization of initial caries lesions to extra-coronal restorations, including onlays and full and partial crowns, and the restoration of endodontically treated teeth. …