Kalamazoo Valley Community College

Dental Hygiene Department

Course Name:
DHY256- Pharmacology
2 Credit Hours, Winter 2015

Course Description:
Students completing this course will study pharmaceutical drugs with a special emphasis given
to those used in the dental office or by dental patients. The student will learn the origin of these
drugs, their basic physical and chemical properties, methods of administration, and associated
therapeutic and adverse effects upon the body systems.
As a required course in the dental hygiene program, this course seeks to help students understand
the implications that pharmaceutical drug use can have on the clinical practice of dental hygiene.
This course is designed to provide students with knowledge and skills that can be directly
applied to the patient care setting.
Learning Objectives:
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
Explain absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion as it relates to drugs in
the body; validated by examination.
Recognize commonly used drugs by therapeutic class, including their actions, adverse
effects, and interactions with other drugs; validated by examination.
Identify indications and contraindications for various drugs taken by dental patients;
validated by examination.
Describe and explain the usage of drugs used in emergency situations; validated by
examination.
Apply knowledge of pharmacology to direct patient care; validated by case studies
and examination.

Resource Requirements:
The required text is Applied Pharmacology for the Dental Hygienist, 6
th
Edition, by Elena
Bablenis Haveles. In addition, you will need the 8
th
edition of Mosbys Dental Drug Reference.
Special Requirements:
Internet connection
Microsoft Office

Introduction to the Textbook:
The required text has been selected because it is easy to read and follow. You will find that the
chapters in the book correspond with therapeutic drug classes that will be focused on in each
learning Module. The logical and consistent organization of each chapter makes it easy to look
up drug group indications, pharmacokinetics, pharmacologic effects, adverse reactions, drug
interactions, and dosages.

As you are reading each chapter, be sure to pay close attention to the Note Boxes provided by the
author. These Boxes highlight important concepts, indications, contraindications, memory tools,
warnings, and more. Furthermore, also be sure to look at the illustrations and tables provided in
the text, as these will help to simplify difficult concepts. Also, I would recommend you use the
Chapter Review Questions at the end of each chapter to help you assess your understanding of
the content before you take your online quiz. Lastly, dont forget that there are informative
Appendixes in the back of the text book that make it easy to look up need-to-know information.

Student Learner Responsibilities:
As a student enrolled in an online class, the following are my expectations of you:
You will devote adequate time necessary for being successful in this course.
You will ask questions when you are not sure about a concept or the directions for an
assignment.
You will check your email and visit the course site daily.
You will submit all assignments online by the expected due date.
You will work collaboratively and professionally with your peers.

Instructor Responsibilities:
As your online instructor, the following are expectations that you can count on me to fulfill:
I will check my email daily.
I will respond to all questions within 24 hours
I will keep you updated each week with an announcement about upcoming assignments
and requirements.
I will give feedback on submitted assignments within a weeks time.

Instructor Information:
Name: Samantha Reidenbach
Email: sreidenbach@kvcc.edu
Work Phone: 269-488-4237
Office: Room 7340- Texas Township Campus
Office Hours: Mondays 11:00- noon, Wednesdays 11:30-12:30, Thursdays 1:00-2:00
Online Office Hours:
I will be available to communicate in real-time with you via Google Hangouts on Monday and
Thursday evenings from 7:00-8:00 pm. If those times do not work well for your schedule, we can
set up an appointment time that works for both of us. If you have any question about the course,
please email me or call me on my office phone. I will respond within 24 hours.

Grading Policy and Scale:
The following demonstrates the breakdown of points in this course.

Module quizzes (10pts x 7) 70 points
Blogging/ commenting (5pts x 7) 35 points
Term Paper 10 points
Final Exam 20 points
TOTAL: 135 points

The following scale shows how your final percentage will equate to a grade for this course.
Please note that to complete the Dental Hygiene Program, a 2.0 grade must be accomplished.

96% and above 4.0
92-95% 3.5
88-91% 3.0
84-87% 2.5
80-83% 2.0
76-79% 1.5
72-75% 1.0
71% and below 0.0

Number of Lessons:
This course spans 15 weeks. However, there are only 7 Modules in this course. You will spend 2
weeks completing each Module and the last week of the course will be dedicated to preparation
for the Final Examination.

In the first week of each Module you will be required to engage in discussion on the topic with
other members of the class. You will accomplish this by creating a blog post where you will
reflect on your learning and state your thoughts about the readings and videos for the Module.
You will not only need to make an initial blog entry, but you will also be required to respond to
one of your classmates with a substantial response for each Module. A detailed rubric for
blogging and commenting is provided on the course website.

In the second week of each Module you will complete an online quiz. You will only get one
attempt at the quiz. Quizzes are worth a maximum of 10 points each.

There is also a Term Paper required for this course. By Week 4, you will need to chose and have
a drug approved as the topic for your Term Paper. By Week 6, an outline of your paper is due,
and by Week 11 the rough draft of the paper should be complete. A complete rubric and detailed
information about this assignment can be found on the course website. The Final Draft of your
Term Paper will be due at the end of the 13
th
week of the course.

A comprehensive Final will need to be completed the last week of the course. In Week 15 you
will have no other assignments besides studying and preparing for the examination. The Final
Exam will be comprised of 100 questions and you will have to take it in the Testing Center at
KVCC. Please note: This assessment is NOT available for you to take online.

Course Outline:
Below you will find the schedule of events for the semester.


Week Topic Readings Assignments
1 Module 1- General
Principles of
Pharmacology
Chapters 1-3 in text

-Mod 1 Blogging and
commenting
2 Module 1- General
Principles of
Pharmacology
Mod 1 Power Point -Watch Video on
Brand vs. Generic
Drugs
-Complete Module 1
Quiz
3 Module 2- Drugs
affecting the ANS
Chapter 4 in text

-Mod 2 Blogging and
commenting

4 Module 2- Drugs
affecting the ANS
Mod 2 Power Point -Watch video on ANS
Drugs
-Complete Module 2
Quiz
-Pick drug for Term
Paper
5 Module 3- Drug
Control of Pain
Chapters 5-6 and 10
in text

-Mod 3 Blogging and
commenting

6 Module 3- Drug
Control of Pain
Mod 3 Power Point -Watch video on
NSAIDS and asprin
-Complete Module 3
Quiz
-Outline for Term
Paper is due
7 Module 4- Drug
Control of Infection
Chapters 7-8 and 13
in text


-Mod 4 Blogging and
commenting
8 Module 4- Drug
Control of Infection
Mod 4 Power Point -Watch video on
Antibiotics
-Complete Module 4
Quiz
9 Module 5- Drug
Control of Anxiety
Chapters 11-12 in text

-Mod 5 Blogging and
commenting

10 Module 5- Drug
Control of Anxiety
Mod 5 Power Point -Watch video on
Benzos vs. Barbs
-Complete Module 5
Quiz
11 Module 6- Drugs that
Alter Dental
Treatment
Chapters 15-22 in text


-Mod 6 Blogging and
commenting
-Rough Draft of
Term Paper is due
12 Module 6- Drugs that
Alter Dental
Treatment
Mod 6 Power Point -Watch video on
Cardiac Meds
-Complete Module 6
Quiz
13 Module 7- Emergency
Drugs and Procedures
Chapter 23 in text

-Mod 6 Blogging and
commenting
-Final Draft of Term
Paper is due
14 Module 7-Emergency
Drugs and Procedures
Mod 7 Power Point -Watch video on
Dental Emergencies
-Complete Module 7
Quiz
15 Review for Final
Exam
Review Sheet -Review key
information from each
module
-Complete the Final
Examination (go to
KVCC Testing
Center)

Attendance Requirements:
It is my expectation that you will check your email and visit the course site daily. Your
attendance will be recorded based on your completion of the required assignments by their due
dates.