Head of the Department – Elena A. Bril, Doctor of Medical Science, Associate Professor

At the Department the following disciplines are taught for dental students: “Prevention and Public Dental Health”, “Pediatric Dentistry”, “Orthodontics and Pediatric Dental Prosthetics”, “Pediatric Maxillofacial Surgery”. We also teach “Dentistry” for students of the Pediatric Faculty.

The Department trains students of the 2,3,4,5 courses of the Faculty of Dentistry and fifth year students of the Pediatric Faculty.

Lectures are given in the dental polyclinic of KrasSMU (lecture hall), in the main building of KrasSMU (lecture hall) and in the laboratory building of KrasSMU (lecture hall). Children's City Polyclinic No. 8 (dental department), City Surgical Children Clinical Hospital No. 5 (maxillofacial surgery department) are the teaching hospitals of the Department for practical training.

The task of the Department is to conduct educational process (lectures and practical classes) at high level using progressive forms and methods of teaching, modern achievements of medical science and practical health care.

We use the department facilities equipped with phantom heads and jaws and provide some classes in “Pediatric Dentistry” for fourth and fifth year students at the premises of the University Simulation Training Center to develop dental students' practical skills.

The educational activities of the Department include job training: for the 5th year students – “Dentist’s assistant (children's)”, for the 3rd year students - “Dentist’s assistant (hygienist)”. The job training gives opportunity not only to consolidate in practice theoretical knowledge received during training but also to get invaluable experience of direct medical work, get acquainted with modern diagnostic and treatment methods and master principles of medical ethics and deontology. Students learn the art of communicating with patients, their relatives and medical staff, and they also develop skills in preparing medical documentation.

The Department annually holds a training Olympiad among 3rd year students in the discipline “Prevention and Public Dental Health”; this event is not only educational but also pedagogical - it is aimed at the formation of the spiritual and moral qualities of an individual, it develops a modern scientific worldview, labor motivation and foundations of health culture.

Second and third year students have some classes in the discipline “Prevention and Public Dental Health” in a pre-school educational institution where under the guidance of a teacher of the Department they organize and conduct “Dental Health Lessons” for children of different ages, in addition, they issue health bulletins for parents and kindergarten teachers.

Here, in the doctor's office, students make preventive examinations of children (under the supervision of a teacher), evaluate their dental status, give recommendations on the choice of tooth brushing techniques and selection of items and products of personal hygiene depending on the state of the child's oral cavity health.

The scientific work of the Department is currently defined by the theme “Prevention of the main dental diseases at the stages of orthodontic treatment”.