Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

This course is part of the restorative curriculum approved by the Oregon Board of Dentistry. Completion of the full restorative certificate allows students to sit for the Western Regional Examining Board Restorative Exam and apply for license endorsement with the State Board of Dentistry.

Upon completion of the course students should be able to:

1. Perform dental restorative procedures at an introductory level in a laboratory environment.
2. Demonstrate placement of clinically acceptable amalgam and composite restorations with moderate reproducibility.
3. Demonstrate finishing and polishing of amalgam and composite restorations at an introductory level.

This course will be offered in lecture/lab format. Demonstrations, audio-visual aids, handout materials and lab practice on manikins and student partners will occur.

Lecture: Weekly quizzes and final exam.
Laboratory: A series of skill assessments and a "mock board" final on placement of an amalgam restoration.

Concepts, Themes and Skills:
Management of four-handed dentistry
Patient Care
Professionalism
Critical Thinking
Team Building
Concepts, Themes and Issues:
Define and classify carious lesions and cavity preparation classifications; including the outline, retention and restistance form of a prepared dentoform tooth.
Describe steps involved in removing caries and creating a cavity preparation for an amalgam restoration.
Understand the need to pre and post evaluate patient's occlusion before and after placing and carving a restoration and demonstrate the skill using articulating paper.
Place a rubber dam, matrix and wedge on the dentoform manikin.
Understand when it is necessary to place varnishes, liners, sealers and intermediary bases and demonstrate the technique in a cavitiy prep prior to placement of a permanent restoration.
Demonstate an awareness of various trade names of varnishes, sealers, liners and bases and correctly choose the appropriate one in differing circumstances.
Demonstrate proper trituation process and recognize/describe the characteristics of improper trituration of amalgam material.
Demonstrate loading and condensation of amalgam into cavity preparations.
Discuss alloy components and properties of dental amalgam and demonstrate safe handling of amalgam during and after the procedure.
Carve an amalgam restoration which restores the functional anatomy of a tooth on a dentoform.
Demonstate self assessment and self correction skills when carving an amalgam restoration.
Demonstrate polishing and finishing of the amalgam restoration.