Skip to main content

Program overview

Vision and goals

To provide residents advanced training in the full use of the resources of the hospital as a site for the practice of dentistry. In doing so provide experiences in management of patients with medical, mental and physical problems that would challenge the routine delivery of dental treatment.

In order to accomplish this the resident receives instruction and experience providing dental treatment to advance their skills beyond their dental school training to enable the residents to:

  • Diagnose oral and maxillofacial diseases and provide dental care in the context of each patient's total healthcare needs.
  • Plan and provide both routine and complex dental care for a wide variety of patients by applying advance knowledge and clinical skills.

Program structure

The following is an estimate of the percentage of time devoted by the residents to each area. Calculations are based on an average of 40 hours per week.

Area First year Second year
Ambulatory care provided in dental clinic 60% 60%
Dental inpatient or same-day surgery care to include: 2% 2%
Dental care provided in operating room
Dental rounds
Postoperative visits
Rotations/assignment to other services 21% 30%
Didactics 2% 0%
Conferences/seminars 9% 1%
Teaching 0% 1%
Investigative work 1% 1%
Other (PTO) 5% 5%

Competency

Patient assessment and diagnosis

  • Obtains a patient's chief complaint, history of present illness, past medical history, social history and review of systems.
  • Orders and interprets appropriate laboratory and radiographic tests.
  • Performs problem-based physical evaluation, and determines medical risk of dental procedures.

Comprehensive dental care

  • Plans treatment that includes multiple disciplines in comprehensive treatment plan.
  • Develop and carry out dental treatment for compromised patients accounting for the patient's medical, mental and social needs.

Obtaining consent

  • Presents and discusses proposed treatment with patients.
  • Determines who has guardianship status if patient lacks ability to make treatment decisions.
  • Presents reasonable expectations, details risks of procedures and of not completing procedures.
  • Involves the patient (parent/guardian) in the treatment description/consent procedures.

Sedation and anxiety control

  • Correctly evaluates and determines the patient's need for the use of behavioral and/or pharmacologic modalities in the management of pain and anxiety based on patient's reaction to clinical procedures.
  • Coordinates with patient's physician, caretakers and family to determine appropriate medications or behavioral management techniques that would be effective for this patient.
  • Demonstrates an understanding of medications used to achieve sedation or anxiolytic state.
  • Demonstrates an understanding of prevention, recognition and management of complications related to the use and interactions of drugs to sedate patients and control pain and anxiety.

Restoration of teeth

  • Restores single teeth using a functionally acceptable range of materials and methods.
  • Places restorations and performs techniques to enhance dental esthetics.
  • Restores intra- and extra-coronal defects.
  • Restores endodontically treated teeth.

Replacement of teeth

  • Treats patients with missing teeth requiring uncomplicated removable and/or fixed prostheses.
  • Communicates care design with laboratory technicians and evaluates the resultant prostheses.
  • Recognizes and manages cases requiring complicated prostheses.

Periodontal therapy

  • Demonstrates ability to diagnose periodontal conditions.
  • Evaluates patients with periodontal conditions and proposes effective treatment plans.
  • Provides both nonsurgical and surgical periodontal treatment for patients with periodontal disease.

Pulpal therapy

  • Diagnoses and treats pain of pulpal origin.
  • Performs uncomplicated nonsurgical endodontic therapy.
  • Diagnoses need for surgical endodontic therapy.
  • Recognizes and manages endodontic complications and emergencies.

Tissue surgery

  • Performs surgical and nonsurgical extraction of teeth.
  • Performs soft-tissue biopsy.
  • Performs uncomplicated pre-prosthetic surgery.
  • Recognizes and manages surgical emergencies and complications.

Dental emergencies

  • Anticipates, diagnoses and provides initial treatment and follow-up for medical emergencies that may occur during dental treatment.
  • Diagnoses and manages dental emergencies.

Management of compromised patients

  • Selects and uses assessment techniques to form a differential, provisional and/or definitive diagnosis for patients with complex needs.
  • Treats patients with acute and systemic conditions and/or social disorders, modifying treatment plans and modalities to meet their special needs.

Requests for consultations

  • Identifies needs and makes referrals to appropriate healthcare providers for the treatment of physiologic, psychological and social problems presented by dental patients.
  • Performs dental consultations and requests medical consultations for hospitalized patients and patients in other healthcare settings.

Hospital setting

  • Performs dental treatment utilizing the operating room, completing the necessary pre- and postoperative assessments and reports.
  • Admits and discharges a patient from the acute hospital, completing the necessary daily notes as well as admission and discharge notes or reports.

Resident experiences

  • Each resident has at least one teaching case a year.
  • They select a challenging patient with multidisciplinary needs.
  • Residents place implants.
  • Manage other prosthetic challenges.