UCSF Dentistry Dean John D.B. Featherstone, MSc, PhD, leads a new CAMBRA-themed MOOC (massive open online course) on Coursera, offering dental professionals and non-professionals alike access to the "scientific basis for caries (dental decay) risk assessment and practice interventions," acccording to the website. "You will immediately be able to apply 'caries management by risk assessment' (CAMBRA) into your clinical setting, or into your personal health care."
The course, beginning this August, is one of the first such offerings concerned with dentistry and oral health science and practice, and will consist of lecture videos, containing integrated quiz questions for review, and additional features to prepare the learner to practice CAMBRA. Students will be asked to participate in discussion forums, and use their forum posts as the basis for peer-reviewed writing assignments. A final examination will be provided at the end of the course.
The course itself is free. Certificates of Completion are available for a small fee, as well as 12 units of Continuing Dental Education credits for dental professionals - also available for a fee.
A dental background is ideal, but not required. The course will be of interest to all clinicians who have a basic understanding of oral health and disease, and the significance of oral health education.
"I hope to greatly expand awareness and understanding of CAMBRA and its application through Coursera, and to engage learners at all levels through interactivity and active participation. It's exciting to be pioneering what may prove to be a tool for exponentially increasing access to dental and oral health knowledge, and the UCSF School of Dentistry has the expertise and experience to provide that knowledge authoritatively" says Dean Featherstone.
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