Dental health education: lesson planning and implementation, 2nd edition

  • L. Gagliardi
Prentice Hall £26.99 9780131717381 | ISBN: 978-0-1317-1738-1
Recommended for any professional delivering oral health education.

I bought this textbook to assist the delivery of an oral health session I was presenting at my children's school. Each of the four sections focuses on a different area of learning. Some of the American terminology is different to what we are used to and may need some adaptation when implementing the contents in the UK.

Section 1 addresses the role of the dental health educator and issues that you should be aware of before planning and delivering a session. Section 2 focuses on teaching methods and provides a helpful chart describing emotional and physical development of a child at different ages. I found this useful when planning my lesson, helping to make sure it was pitched at the right level. A blank lesson plan and an evaluation questionnaire are also provided.

The third section provides the bulk of the book and includes information and ideas enabling you to present a session effectively and confidently. It is broken down into topics including plaque control, nutrition and children with special needs. I particularly liked the ‘Three Friends’ story on page 40 explaining how to look after your teeth properly and the consequences that occur if the advice and care isn't adhered to. The children in the reception class received this story, along with the great visual aids (also provided in the book) wonderfully and gave me great feedback.

The final chapter concentrates on the adult learner, taking into consideration people who may have low literacy skills and the more elderly person. I particularly liked the idea of a ‘dental health fair’. The idea was to set up work stations for people to visit demonstrating different aspects of dental health. The final pages provide advice sheets which can be handed out to reinforce advice given.

I would recommend this book for any dental health professional delivering oral health education and it is especially useful for students studying for the certificate in oral health education and student dental hygienists/therapists.