The Board of Study in Community Medicine (hereinafter referred to as BoS) of the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine (PGIM) is responsible for conducting the course leading to the degree in MSc Community Dentistry.

This course has been conducted since 1991 by the Board of Study in Community Medicine which was one of the founder Boards of Study of the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine (PGIM) when it was established in1980. This is a one year course which covers areas relevant to the practice of Community Dentistry.

Community Dentistry is a discipline which has special interests in promoting oral health in the population and is firmly rooted in the parent discipline of Public Health. It is a broad subject which seeks to increase the focus and understanding on factors that influence oral health in the population.

As the only population based dental specialty, dental public health practice requires different skills to those of clinical dental practice. The course is designed to produce dental public health practitioners with knowledge and skills required to carry out various public health activities associated with oral health.

Moreover, this course is closely integrated with the course in Community Medicine which is based on the application of principles of “Primary Health Care”. Accordingly, it deals health promotion, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, thus addressing the needs of both ill and well populations.

Hence, these practitioners will be able to effectively function as members of a multidisciplinary team of public health professionals, whose responsibility will be to prevent disease, protect, promote and improve the health of the community.

This “Prospectus” will come into effect from 2017 for trainees who will qualify the Selection Examination in 2017 and replace the previous prospectus.

At the end of the programme, the trainees should be able to apply knowledge, skills and favorable The MSc course in Community Dentistry offers training in the principles and practice of public health including dental public health to equip trainees with knowledge, attitudes and skills that enable them to function as an efficient and effective dental public health practitioner within the framework of the community dental services in Sri Lanka.

On completion of the MSc in Community Dentistry, trainees should be able to:

  • Apply principles of public health including dental public health in the day-to- day practice
  • Promote community participation and inter-sectoral coordination to ensure effective implementation of oral health programmes.
  • Plan, implement, monitor and evaluate public health programmes for prevention and control of oral diseases and promotion of oral health.
  • Monitor and evaluate oral health care delivery systems in Sri Lanka E. Collaborate with and lend support to Community Medicine counterparts as required in all areas of health promotion
  • Successfully carry-out research to define and describe oral health problems
  • Critically evaluate research communications
  • Communicate effectively at individual and community level
  • Enhance personal and professional development of highest ethical standards

  1. A dental degree registered with the Sri Lanka Medical Council.
  2. Satisfactory completion of one year of dental practice or teaching in a university/public/private sector institution in Sri Lanka acceptable to the PGIM.
  3. The applicant should comply with all other PGIM regulations.

Please refer to the relevant prospectus for the most up to date information. The prospectus of a particular programme contains official information pertaining to a programme approved by the Board of Management, University Senate and the University Grants Commission

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