KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING:
At the end of the course, the student will have acquired basic knowledge of probability calculations, descriptive statistics, and basic inferential statistics.

APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING:
The student will be able to collect data on a topic of interest, also in the specific field of the dental hygienist profession. The student will be able to describe and interpret them critically, using statistical software such as JAMOVI.

MAKING JUDGEMENTS:
Develop skills for critically reading scientific articles in the biomedical field, also in the specific field of the dental hygienist profession, independently understanding and interpreting basic statistical methodologies.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS:
At the end of the course, the student must be able to clearly present the acquired concepts. They must also be able to summarize and represent, both graphically and numerically, the information contained in a data table.

LEARNING SKILLS:
At the end of the course, the student should be able to independently delve deeper into the topics covered and approach statistical software. They should also be able to transfer the knowledge acquired in the course to subsequent teachings.

Mathematics at secondary school level.

INTRODUCTION
Statistical methods in biomedical studies.
DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS
1. Tabulation and data processing: numerical and graphical summaries of data.
2. Measures of location and dispersion, quantiles and percentiles.
3. Relationship between two variables: contingency tables, scatter plot, correlation.
PROBABILITY
1. Calculation rules and basic theorems.
2. Probability distributions for discrete and continuous random variables. Binomial and Gaussian distribution.
STATISTICAL INFERENCE
1. Confidence intervals for means and proportions.
2. Significance tests.
3. Inferences from means.
4. Inferences from means and proportions: comparison between two populations.

Marc. M. Triola, Mario F. Triola, M. “Fondamenti di statistica per le discipline biomediche”, Pearson Italia
Teacher’s slides.

Introduction to the course Role of statistics in the biomedical research area. Introduction to the software JAMOVI. Type of variables (qualitative/quantitative). Scales of measurements. Unitary and frequency distributions. Numerical and graphical summaries of data. Basic probability. Random variables, binomial distribution, normal distribution. Inference for one sample; confidence intervals. Basic concepts of hypothesis testing and confidence intervals. Inference for two samples. Contingency tables. Analysis of correlation

Lectures for the theoretical part will be accompanied by a series of practical examples for each topic under study. Students active participation will be stimulated by means of practical examples of data analysis and statistical results interpretation.


Any changes to the methods described here, necessary to ensure the application of the safety protocols related to the COVID19 emergency, will be communicated on the Department, Study Program and teaching website.

Practical sessions in a computer classroom or with personal laptops will be organized to illustrate practical examples of data analysis using the free statistical software JAMOVI.

The student evaluation includes a written test with 10 multiple-choice questions. The questions will cover theoretical topics and the interpretation of an "output" derived from a data analysis example. The student must demonstrate a basic understanding of probability calculation, descriptive statistics, and inferential statistics. The exam score is given on a scale of thirty. To achieve a grade of 30 cum laude, all questions must be answered correctly; to achieve a grade of 28, at least 9 questions must be answered correctly; to achieve a grade of 26, at least 8 questions must be answered correctly; to achieve a grade of 23, at least 7 questions must be answered correctly; to achieve a grade of 20, at least 6 questions must be answered correctly. A score of fewer than 6 correct answers will be considered insufficient.

This course delves into topics strictly connected to one or more of the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals.