NDHCE Community Oral Health 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A dental sealant program is an example of which level of disease prevention?
- Primary prevention (Correct answer)
- Secondary prevention
- Tertiary prevention
- Primordial prevention
Correct answer: Primary prevention
Dental sealants are a primary prevention measure because they prevent caries before the disease process begins by creating a physical barrier over susceptible pit-and-fissure surfaces.
Question 2: Which type of study design provides the strongest evidence in epidemiological research?
- Case report
- Cross-sectional study
- Randomized controlled trial (RCT) (Correct answer)
- Ecological study
Correct answer: Randomized controlled trial (RCT)
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are considered the gold standard in epidemiological research because randomization minimizes bias and allows causal inferences.
Question 3: In a community oral health program, sensitivity of a diagnostic test refers to:
- The proportion of disease-free individuals who test negative
- The proportion of individuals with disease who test positive (Correct answer)
- The accuracy of the test compared to a gold standard
- The cost-effectiveness of the screening tool
Correct answer: The proportion of individuals with disease who test positive
Sensitivity measures a test's ability to correctly identify those who have the disease (true positive rate), expressed as the proportion of diseased individuals who test positive.
Question 4: Which term describes the number of new cases of a disease occurring in a population during a specific time period?
- Prevalence
- Incidence (Correct answer)
- Morbidity rate
- Attack rate
Correct answer: Incidence
Incidence measures the rate at which new cases of a disease occur in a population during a defined time period, reflecting disease risk.
Question 5: What is the primary goal of a community needs assessment in dental public health?
- To determine individual patient treatment plans
- To identify the oral health problems and resources within a community to guide program planning (Correct answer)
- To evaluate the effectiveness of an existing dental program
- To recruit dental hygienists for community positions
Correct answer: To identify the oral health problems and resources within a community to guide program planning
A community needs assessment gathers data on the oral health status, risk factors, resources, and barriers within a community to identify priorities for public health programs.
Question 6: School-based dental screenings primarily serve which of the following purposes?
- To diagnose and treat dental disease in school settings
- To identify children who need follow-up dental care and refer them to providers (Correct answer)
- To replace private dental care for low-income students
- To administer fluoride treatments to all students
Correct answer: To identify children who need follow-up dental care and refer them to providers
School-based dental screenings identify children with dental needs and refer them to dental providers for diagnosis and treatment, acting as an entry point into the dental care system.
NDHCE Community Oral Health 2
A dental sealant program is an example of which level of disease prevention?