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Curriculum

Comprehensive, evidence-based curriculum packages with ready-to-use instructional materials that support integration into dental, dental hygiene, and dental therapy education.

Dentist Professor Explains a Dental X-ray on a Screen to Two Students in a Classroom.

How to Use These Resources

    Curriculum

    This curriculum is designed to support integration into existing dental, dental hygiene, and dental therapy courses. Each session includes an overview, learning objectives, and faculty teaching resources, such as instructor guides, slide decks with faculty notes, learning activities, assessments, and curriculum mapping to the CODA Accreditation Standards. Self-paced student courses are also available to reinforce key concepts and may be assigned before class, incorporated into classroom, laboratory, simulation, or clinical instruction, or used after class to extend learning.

      Short Courses

      Each short student course (approximately 30 minutes) can be incorporated into classroom, laboratory, simulation, or clinical instruction. Faculty may assign the course before class to introduce key concepts, integrate it into an in-class lesson, or use it as a post-class learning activity to reinforce learning. The accompanying faculty resources, including instructor guides, slide decks with faculty notes, assessments, and curriculum maps, are designed to support implementation within existing curricula. Students receive a certificate of completion after successfully completing each course.

        Assigning a Short Course

        To assign a short course, share the course link with your students, along with the titles of the courses you would like them to complete and any instructions for submitting their certificate(s) of completion. Short courses may be assigned individually or as part of an entire learning track, depending on your instructional goals.

        Copy and customize the student instructions below for use in your syllabus, learning management system, or course communications.

        Student Instructions

        Please complete the following CareQuest Institute for Oral Health short courses(s):

        Assigned courses(s):

        • The Connection between Caries Risk Assessments and Cultural Awareness
        • Introduction to Caries Risk Assessments
        1. Select the assigned short course(s) and click Add to Cart. All courses are available at no cost.
        2. If you are a first-time user, register using the email address where you would like to receive your Certificate of Completion.
        3. After registering, access your assigned courses(s) from My Learning.
        4. Complete the assigned courses(s).

        Certificate of Completion

        After successfully completing each assigned course, a Certificate of Completion will be emailed to the address you used to register. You can also download your Certificate(s) of Completion at any time from My Learning.

        Submit your Certificate(s) of Completion according to your instructor’s instructions.

        Cariology: A Management and Prevention Approach

        Curriculum

        Session 1: Foundations of Dental Caries: Disease Process and Epidemiology  

        Description:   

        This session introduces dental caries as a chronic, dynamic, biofilm-mediated disease rather than a static lesion. Learners will examine how microbial metabolism, repeated pH fluctuations, and host factors such as saliva, diet, fluoride exposure, and oral hygiene behaviors influence cycles of demineralization and remineralization over time. The session will also provide a high-level overview of caries epidemiology to contextualize its impact across populations.    

        Learning Objectives:   

        • Explain dental caries as a chronic, dynamic, biofilm-mediated disease process driven by repeated pH changes and influenced by host and environmental factors.   
        • Describe how microbial activity within dental biofilms leads to cycles of demineralization and remineralization over time.   
        • Describe how caries progression varies by individual risk and contextual factors.   
        • Interpret high-level population data on dental caries to explain why early detection and prevention are central to oral health practice.    

        Resources:   

        Session 2: Understanding the Caries Process: Demineralization, Remineralization, and Biofilm Management  

        Description:   

        This session will investigate the pivotal role of fermentable carbohydrates and biofilm bacteria in the development of dental caries, emphasizing how fluoride, calcium, and phosphate contribute to enamel stability and support remineralization through saliva. It also explores plaque formation, ecological shifts within the oral microbiome, and the effects of repeated acidic challenges on enamel demineralization.   

        Students will analyze the role of mutans streptococci as key acidogenic and aciduric organisms associated with lesion initiation and understand how low pH environments favor their persistence and activity. By the end of the session, they will understand the dynamic balance between demineralization and remineralization and how microscopic changes in enamel translate to clinical lesion development.   

        Learning Objectives:   

        • Explain how biofilm metabolism of fermentable carbohydrates leads to acid production and repeated pH fluctuations.   
        • Describe how diffusion and critical pH contribute to subsurface enamel demineralization.   
        • Differentiate between demineralization and remineralization at the crystal level, including the role of fluoride in reducing enamel solubility.   
        • Relate microscopic changes in enamel to clinical presentation, including white spot lesions and D1–D4 classification.   
        • Describe how shifts in biofilm composition contribute to lesion initiation and progression.  

        Resources:   

        Session 3: Caries as a Disease: Etiology, Risk Factors, and Protective Factors 

        Description:   

        This session will help students understand if caries is a transmissive or infectious disease and how disease can be transmitted between humans. They will also understand how to coach humans on how to decrease the transmission of pathogenic bacteria that can lead to decay.   

        Learning Objectives:   

        • Discuss the evidence on vertical and horizontal transmission of cariogenic bacteria associated with dental caries.   
        • Interpret a case review of saliva data from two families with similar saliva and disease presentations.   
        • Select strategies for families to reduce their risk for dental caries.   

        Resources:   

        Session 4: Caries Risk Assessment: Identifying and Interpreting Patient Risk

        Description:   

        Dental caries is a multifactorial disease process influenced by the balance between pathological and protective factors. Understanding how disease indicators, risk factors, and protective factors interact helps clinicians identify patients at risk and guide preventive care. Using concepts from Featherstone’s caries balance model, learners examine how biological, behavioral, and environmental factors contribute to the development and progression of dental caries.

        Frameworks such as Caries Management by Risk Assessment (CAMBRA) and tools such as the ADA Caries Risk Assessment Form (CRA) are introduced as approaches for applying this understanding in practice. Through case-based activities and discussion, learners practice identifying caries risk and applying this information to support prevention and patient-centered care.

        Learning Objectives:   

        • Compare approaches used to assess caries risk.
        • Identify disease indicators, risk factors, and protective factors associated with dental caries.
        • Explain how caries risk assessment informs patient conversations and prevention planning.

        Resources:   

        Session 5: Personalized Caries Prevention: Applying Risk-Based Strategies

        Description:   

        Applying concepts of caries risk and balance is a core competency for oral health professionals. Through patient scenarios and peer discussion, students practice identifying disease indicators, risk factors, and protective factors and assigning an overall caries risk level. The activity emphasizes clinical reasoning and the role of caries risk assessment in guiding prevention planning and patient conversations. By engaging in a simulated provider-patient interaction, learners begin to connect risk assessment with individualized, preventive approaches to caries management.

        Learning Objectives:   

        • Apply a caries risk assessment tool in a provider-patient scenario.
        • Differentiate disease indicators, risk factors, and protective factors.
        • Assign a caries risk level based on patient findings.
        • Discuss how risk assessment guides prevention planning.

        Resources:   

        Session 6: Levels of Prevention in Dental Caries: From Primordial to Tertiary Care

        Description:   

        Learners will explore prevention levels in this session, covering public health strategies and individual/community clinical interventions. The aim is to provide learners with insights into preventive dentistry, emphasizing the pivotal role of early intervention and a comprehensive understanding of risk factors.

        Learning Objectives:   

        • Define primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention.
        • Discuss the CAMBRA protocol and the evidence for CAMBRA.
        • Examine the evidence for the protocols listed within the CAMBRA framework.
        • Explain how prevention aligns with disease progression.
        • Apply prevention strategies based on timing.
        • Describe how CAMBRA guides clinical decision-making.

        Resources:   

        Session 7: Clinical Decision-Making: Applying Caries Risk Assessment to Patient-Centered Care

        Description:   

        Learners will apply caries risk assessment to two clinical case studies. Participants will identify disease indicators, risk factors, and protective factors, and use this information to determine caries risk level. Emphasis is placed on clinical reasoning and justification of decisions.

        Learning Objectives:   

        • Identify disease indicators, risk factors, and protective factors.
        • Determine caries risk level using clinical evidence.
        • Justify their risk assessment using findings from the case.

        Resources:   

        Session 8: The Oral Microbiome and Caries: From Dysbiosis to Prevention

        Description:   

        In this session, learners will explore how the quantity and quality of saliva influence oral health. This presentation will examine key factors such as acidity, pH levels, and buffering capacity, and how they shape the oral environment and microbiome. Learners will also consider patient-specific factors affect salivary function and contribute to caries risk.

        Learning Objectives:   

        • Explain the functions of saliva in oral health.
        • Differentiate how the quality and quantity of saliva affect patients’ disease status.
        • Describe how saliva influences caries risk.
        • Identify factors that alter salivary flow and composition.

        Resources:   

        Session 9: Saliva in Health Microbiome, pH, and Caries Risk

        Description:   

        In this session, learners will explore the relationship between the oral microbiome and oral health. The presentation focuses on the metabolic activity of the oral microbiome, including the roles of acid and alkali production. Key pathways such as ammonia production from arginine metabolism help regulate pH and influence the oral environment. Learners will examine how these processes relate to caries risk and how strategies such as oral hygiene, nutrition, and salivary support can help promote a more protective oral environment. 

        Learning Objectives:   

        • Explain how salivary factors influence oral pH and biofilm behavior.
        • Describe the role of acid and alkali production in caries risk.
        • Interpret how changes in the oral environment contribute to disease progression.
        • Identify evidence-informed strategies to support a less cariogenic environment.

        Resources:   

        Session 10: Saliva in Disease: Cardiovascular Conditions and Caries Risk

        Description:   

        In this session, learners will explore how saliva, overall health, and disease risk are connected to systemic health. The goal is to help learners understand how the bacteria in saliva can be linked to stroke and heart disease. This presentation will discuss facts about strokes and heart disease, gaining insights, and discussing how dental diseases might be connected to inflammation in the body.

        Learning Objectives:   

        • Discuss the connection of bacteria in saliva to stroke and heart disease.
        • Examine the relationship between caries and stroke and heart disease.
        • Evaluate the saliva and clinical case of a patient with congestive heart failure and assess how their oral findings correlate.

        Resources:   

        Session 11: Saliva in Disease: Asthma, Allergic Rhinitis, and Caries Risk

        Description:   

        In this session, learners will explore how asthma and allergic rhinitis can impact saliva and increase the risk of dental caries. This presentation will explore the medications used by patients and guide the creation of a collaborative preventive treatment plan. It will address the impact of asthma and allergic rhinitis medications on the oral microbiome.

        Learning Objectives:   

        • Discuss how the bacteria in saliva connect to asthma and allergic rhinitis.
        • Examine the relationship between caries and asthma and allergic rhinitis.
        • Evaluate the saliva and clinical case of a patient with asthma. 

        Resources:   

        This course was developed with consideration of the CODA Accreditation Standards for predoctoral dental, dental hygiene, and dental therapy education. We encourage faculty to determine how these materials align with their program’s curriculum and current CODA Accreditation Standards.

        Short Learning Courses

        The Connection Between Caries Risk Assessments and Cultural Awareness

        By integrating cultural awareness into caries risk assessment, providers can move beyond identifying risk to meaningfully engaging patients in their care. We will also shed light on the invaluable roles of coaching, motivational interviewing, and cultural humility. This approach supports clearer understanding, builds trust, and leads to more effective, patient-centered prevention strategies that improve clinical outcomes.

        Introduction to Caries Risk Assessments

        As a key component of preventive care, evaluating a patient’s caries risk is pivotal for their overall health and well-being. But how can one determine the most effective assessment method?

        This course will explore the CAMBRA (Caries Management by Risk Assessment) system, highlighting its merits as an assessment tool. Effective communication and action on these risks are essential. We will also shed light on the invaluable role of motivational interviewing.

        Updating Your Knowledge of Dental Caries: Epidemiology

        The lessons will summarize the newest findings on the epidemiology of caries disease. Through a video and interactive exercises, you will gain a deeper understanding of the root causes and explore the factors contributing to the development and progression of dental caries.

        Updating Your Knowledge of Dental Caries: Etiology

        This lesson will explore the etiology of dental caries, including the role of host factors, saliva, diet, and oral hygiene. 

        Through a video and interactive exercises, you will gain a deeper understanding of the root causes and explore the factors contributing to the development and progression of dental caries. 

        Managing Dental Caries: Evolving Strategies and Proven Techniques

        Dental caries is a dynamic, biofilm-mediated disease that develops over time and requires ongoing assessment and management. In this course, you will learn to approach caries as a disease rather than a procedure. You will build skills in risk assessment, recognizing disease stages, and selecting prevention strategies. You will also examine how patient factors such as behavior, environment, and access to care influence disease progression. This will help you move beyond treating lesions and begin thinking about long-term disease management.

        Managing Dental Caries: Minimally Invasive Management of Caries

        The lessons will summarize the newest findings on the epidemiology of caries disease and explore the etiology of dental caries, including the role of host factors, saliva, diet, and oral hygiene.

        Through a mix of videos and interactive exercises, you will gain a deeper understanding of the root causes and explore the factors contributing to the development and progression of dental caries.

        Learn more