SAQA

All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source.

SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY

REGISTERED QUALIFICATION THAT HAS PASSED THE END DATE:

Master of Dentistry: Community Dentistry

SAQA QUAL ID	QUALIFICATION TITLE
2345	Master of Dentistry: Community Dentistry
ORIGINATOR
Medical University of Southern Africa
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY			NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK
CHE - Council on Higher Education			HEQSF - Higher Education Qualifications Sub-framework
QUALIFICATION TYPE	FIELD		SUBFIELD
Master's Degree	Field 09 - Health Sciences and Social Services		Curative Health
ABET BAND	MINIMUM CREDITS	PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL	NQF LEVEL	QUAL CLASS
Undefined	768	Level 8 and above	NQF Level 09	Regular-Provider-ELOAC
REGISTRATION STATUS		SAQA DECISION NUMBER	REGISTRATION START DATE	REGISTRATION END DATE
Passed the End Date - Status was "Reregistered"		SAQA 2663/05	2006-07-01	2009-06-30
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT		LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2010-06-30		2013-06-30

In all of the tables in this document, both the pre-2009 NQF Level and the NQF Level is shown. In the text (purpose statements, qualification rules, etc), any references to NQF Levels are to the pre-2009 levels unless specifically stated otherwise.

This qualification does not replace any other qualification and is not replaced by any other qualification.

PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION

Primary purpose:
1. To provide qualifiers with specific knowledge, skills and competence in the field of Community Dentistry that will enable them to register as specialists in Community Dentistry with the Medical and Dental Professional Board of the Health Professions Council of South Africa.
2. To provide South Africa with an adequate supply of specialists in Community Dentistry.

Subsidiary purpose:
To provide future teaching staff for the dental schools of South Africa.

LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING

Applicants who want to register for the M Dent (Community Dentistry) degree must be in possession of a BDS or equivalent degree and must be registered as dentists with the Medical and Dental Professional Board of the Health Professions Council of South Africa.

RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING?

EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES

1. Know how and be able to determine the prevalence and incidence of oral diseases and abnormalities.

2. Know how and be able to identify the factors involved in the natural history of oral diseases and abnormalities.

3. Know how and be competent to use the above knowledge and skills to prevent oral diseases and abnormalities to the maximum extent possible.

4. Know how and be competent to plan and implement public oral health services in order that the goals of primary health care in South Africa can be realized.

5. Know how and be competent to manage public oral health services, and be able to function within the mission and mode of primary health care systems in the public health services in South Africa.

6. Know and be able to use the different methods to evaluate the efficiency, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the public oral health services.

7. Be able to maintain continued competence and to keep abreast of up to date techniques and procedures.

8. Know the laws and ethical rules and regulations controlling the practice of the oral health professions in South Africa, with specific reference to the scope and nature of dentistry as set out by the Medical and Dental Professional Board of the Health Professions Council of South Africa.

9. Know how to engage in lifelong learning through well-developed learning skills.

ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Integrated assessment.

In order to assess whether the exit-level outcomes have been achieved, a range of formative and summative assessments are done throughout the two years of study. These include seminars, research projects, practical work in the public oral health services, portfolios and written and oral tests and examinations. In the case of knowledge assessment samples of the qualifier's knowledge is tested for depth and width of knowledge.
A qualifier must have, through the above assessment procedures, proved that s/he has achieved the NQF level 8A standards.

INTERNATIONAL COMPARABILITY

Not all countries recognise, train or register dental specialists. In general terms the specialist qualifications offered in those countries where specialists are registered, can be compared to the Medunsa M Dent degrees. It must be remembered that reciprocity as far as registration of specialists between countries is rare.

ARTICULATION OPTIONS

Articulation with qualifications at other institutions:
Presently none

The qualification towards which the M Dent (Community Dentistry) graduate may proceed is the PhD degree.

Exit level outcomes articulating with other qualifications are:
None

MODERATION OPTIONS

The Faculty maintains a bank of external examiners as approved by Council, in Community Dentistry with the necessary knowledge, academic qualifications,
clinical/practical expertise and national and international standing, from which the external examiners are appointed for each year.
Inspectors appointed by the Medical and Dental Professional Board of the Health Professions Council of South Africa inspect the exit level outcomes of this qualification on a regular basis to ensure that all the criteria necessary for registration as a specialist in Community Dentistry with the Medical and Dental Professional Board of the Health Professions Council of South Africa are met.

CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS

Registered specialists in Community Dentistry on the staff of the Faculty of Dentistry with the necessary academic qualifications and experience are used as internal assessors.

REREGISTRATION HISTORY

As per the SAQA Board decision/s at that time, this qualification was Reregistered in 2006.

LEARNING PROGRAMMES RECORDED AGAINST THIS QUALIFICATION:

NONE

PROVIDERS CURRENTLY ACCREDITED TO OFFER THIS QUALIFICATION:

This information shows the current accreditations (i.e. those not past their accreditation end dates), and is the most complete record available to SAQA as of today. Some Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionaries have a lag in their recording systems for provider accreditation, in turn leading to a lag in notifying SAQA of all the providers that they have accredited to offer qualifications and unit standards, as well as any extensions to accreditation end dates. The relevant Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionary should be notified if a record appears to be missing from here.

NONE