Oral Rehabilitation

Overview

The Department of Oral Rehabilitation was established in 2004, by joining the following Departments: Restorative Dentistry, Prosthetic Dentistry and the Department of Occlusion and Behavioral Sciences. The areas of teaching and research include, in addition to the above, Cariology, Dental Materials, Temporomandibular Disorders, Myofascial Pain, Dental Ethics and Jurisprudence, Community Dentistry, Post-Graduate Course in Oral Rehabilitation (4 1/2 years), and Dental Implantology.

The objective of the field of Oral Rehabilitation is to understand the form and function of the masticatory system, to prevent disease of the oral cavity and teeth by modern preventive methods, and to restore damaged teeth and soft tissue using up-to-date knowledge and technology in order to restore function, aesthetics and comfort. The teaching objectives of the Department of Oral Rehabilitation include:

1. Implementation of biomechanical and physiological principles that affect the rehabilitation and restoration of the stomatognathic system.
2. Skills to evaluate the prosthetic possibilities (potential of treatment of oral rehabilitation and the indications and contra-indication of each treatment solution.
3. Diagnosis, treatment, prevention of caries and the use of the "minimally invasive dentistry" method.
4. Diagnosis and treatment of occlusal, TMJ and muscular disorders.
5. Developing and teaching treatment planning and modalities linked to the dental and medical needs, taking into account the individual requirements as related to caries and periodontal disease, and risk assessment,
6. Providing knowledge in the field of Dental Materials as related to Oral Rehabilitation.
7. Theoretical and manual skills to treat from the single tooth level to a full mouth reconstruction using restorations, such as posts & cores, crowns, fixed partial dentures, partial and full removable denture, amalgam and composite restorations, GIC, inlays, onlays, porcelain laminates, and various bleaching techniques, and the use of restorations supported by osseointegrated dental implants.
8. Providing knowledge to understand the limitations and/or contra-indications of treatment and to know when referral to a specialist is required.
9. Making the student (as a future dentist) aware of the emotional problems of the patient regarding their dental needs. To teach the ability to make a basic diagnosis and provide suitable treatment to a patient with dental phobia.

Specialty program in Oral Rehabilitation (Prosthodontics) 

The program objective is to prepare a professionally educated, independent, clinically competent specialist in Oral Rehabilition. The student must fulfill the academic and clinical requirements stipulated by the prosthodontic specialty committee of the Israel Scientific Council of the Israel Dental Association. All students must be adequately prepared to sit the examination of the Israel Dental Association for prosthodontic specialty status in a final written examination and oral examination.

The prosthodontic program is a 4 year program with clinical and didactic distribution in accordance with recommended international standards. The didactic program has primary and secondary curriculum topics addressed in weekly literature review seminars and frontal lectures and is based on a formal curriculum and accredited literature bibliography. Obligatory rotations are in periodontics and an additional elective discipline usually orthodontics. Weekly treatment planning seminars are conduced with students presenting their fully documented clinical cases for forum review and analysis.

Clinical competencies must be demonstrated in all aspects of fixed and removable prosthodontics with fully documented cases demonstrating diagnostic, analytical and treatment proficiencies in fixed and removable implant prosthodontics, complete and partial removable dentures, fixed tooth supported prosthodontics  with periodontal involvement, bruxism orthodontics, partial anodontias, esthetic and TMD parameters.