Specialty Programs

Advanced Education in General Dentistry

Advanced Education in General Dentistry

General Information

Advanced Education in General Dentistry is a one-year residency program with an optional second year of advanced study and practice.  There is also a two-year comprehensive program of advanced study that can be pursued as either a clinical tract or with joint matriculation in the Master of Science program. A PhD program in conjunction with the department of oral and craniofacial biological sciences may also be combined with the Advanced Education in General Dentistry program.

Facilities

The Advanced Education in General Dentistry program operates within the dental school in its own clinic facility specially designed to include treatment areas as well as associated support areas.

Financial Support

Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) residents who are graduates of an accredited U.S. or Canadian dental school receive a stipend from the UMB School of Dentistry.  In addition, the student is not responsible for paying the UMB School of Dentistry tuition and fees.  Graduates of international dental schools are responsible for tuition and fees and do not receive a stipend; however, international students who are simultaneously enrolled in a master’s do not pay additional tuition for graduate-level master’s courses.

Requirements for Certification

A certificate is awarded to candidates who have satisfied all requirements of the program and have paid all debts to the University. Selected students in joint certificate and graduate programs who enter into a training agreement will receive a master’s degree diploma and certificate when they complete the requirements of the programs.

Academic Standards for Certification

In the evaluation of student performance, the following grades are used:

Students must demonstrate competency in all clinical and nonclinical areas of the program. Any student who fails to do so may not be permitted to continue in the program.

Objectives

Each Resident shall:

•      Act as a primary care provider for individuals and groups of patients.  This includes: providing emergency and multidisciplinary comprehensive oral health care; providing patient focused care that is coordinated by the general practitioner; directing health promotion and disease prevention activities, and using advanced dental treatment modalities.

•      Plan and provide multidisciplinary oral health care for a wide variety of patients including patients with special needs.

•      Manage the delivery of oral health care by applying concepts of patient and practice management and quality improvement that are responsive to a dynamic health care environment.

•      Function effectively and efficiently in multiple health care environments within interdisciplinary health care teams.

•      Apply scientific principles to learning and oral health care.  This includes using critical thinking, evidence or outcomes-based clinical decision-making and technology-based information retrieval systems.

•      Utilize the values of professional ethics, lifelong learning, patient centered care, adaptability, and acceptance of cultural diversity in professional practice.

•      Understand the oral health needs of communities and engage in community service.

The two year AEGD program incorporates all the goals and objectives of the one year program and is designed to expand the educational opportunities offered by gaining experience in managing highly complex comprehensive dental care.

Scope of Training: One-Year Program

The clinical experiences for each student incorporate a broad range of clinical cases and are designed to match specific needs and interests. Faculty assign patients on the basis of type and complexity of treatment required. Students assume the responsibility for total patient treatment and learn to serve as principal coordinator when specialist care is required.

The Advanced Education in General Dentistry environment simulates a private group practice and is one in which students are exposed to new techniques and concepts in patient care. This atmosphere is enhanced by ongoing clinical research in materials and devices, and the clinical treatment of Advanced Education in General Dentistry patients by attending faculty. Chairside dental auxiliaries, fulltime hygienists, receptionist/clerks, and financial personnel facilitate the efficient delivery of services.

While students spend 85 percent of their time in the Advanced General Dentistry clinic practice facility, the remaining 15 percent is devoted to seminars that cover all dental specialties. These seminars are presented by senior faculty of the School of Dentistry and private practitioners, as well as by the Advanced Education in General Dentistry faculty.

First-year students can apply for an optional second year of training that continues and expands the postgraduate program’s clinical and didactic components. Second-year students manage increasingly complex comprehensive care cases, including the placement and restoration of dental implants, and participate in the regular seminar series. In conjunction with the program director, these students also develop an in-depth seminar and literature review program to meet their individual interests and objectives. Second-year students may also be provided an opportunity to pursue areas of individual clinical and/or didactic concentration one- half day per week; e.g., temporomandibular disorders & facial pain, anesthetics & conscious sedation, oral pathology and digital dentistry. These additional experiences must be approved by the program director.

Number of Positions: One-Year Program 

4-9 per year

Scope of Training: Two-Year Program

This program pursues the one-year objectives while the curriculum emphasis can be either clinical or centered around matriculation in the Master of Science program offered within the dental school. The intent is to direct potential careers into education/research, advanced general or specialty practice. At the same time, students treat increasingly more difficult comprehensive care patients, increase their level of independent clinical activity, and improve practice management skills. Research required for thesis development is usually conducted in a clinical or laboratory setting and offers a wide selection of interest areas such as ongoing materials studies based in restorative and esthetic dentistry, special patients, geriatrics, TMD, and implantology. Additional opportunities may be specifically tailored to provide experiences at extramural training sites, and experience in preclinical and clinical teaching areas may be provided. An additional six months to one year may be necessary beyond the 24-month program to ensure completion of all requirements for the Master of Science program. For those interested, a PhD program is available contingent on acceptance by the program and the Graduate School. Contact the program director if you desire to be considered for this program.

Number of Positions: Two-Year Program 

2-3 per year

Site of Training

The Advanced General Dentistry clinic is located on the 2nd floor of the dental school. This clinical facility consists of 20 units and all associated support areas such as reception, X-ray, and laboratory and contains state-of-the-art equipment such as a CO₂ laser, digital radiography, digital impressions, CAD-CAM dentistry, dental microscope, rotary endodontics, and air abrasion unit.

Additionally, residents rotate at an affiliated site. The University of Maryland, School of Dentistry Dental Clinic at Shady Grove for up to ten weeks during their academic year. The clinical facility consists of 24 chairs where residents have the opportunity to improve access to adult dental services by providing both urgent and comprehensive dental services for the residents of Montgomery County, Maryland.  

Endodontics

Objectives

• To train dentists to become specialists in the field of endodontics with the objective of pursuing careers in private practice, academics, or health related fields. 
• To provide in-depth training in the basic sciences as related to endodontics and to have the graduate integrate this background into endodontic practice. 
• To provide advanced education and training in the field of endodontics consistent with the standards provided by the American Dental Association’s Commission on Dental Accreditation. 
• To prepare residents to design, conduct, analyze, and discuss a scientific research investigation. 
• To provide an atmosphere that fosters the appreciation of the importance and advantages of membership and participation in organized dentistry. 
• To prepare residents to become Diplomates of the American Board of Endodontics. 
• To provide an environment conducive to evidence-based practice and life-long learning.

Scope of Training

The program integrates biological and clinical sciences to teach evidence-based endodontics by integrating the best research evidence with clinician expertise and patient values. Lectures, seminars, and literature reviews cover ethics and professionalism, biomedical sciences, clinical sciences, the history of endodontics, teaching methodology, jurisprudence, risk management, practice management and medical emergencies. Residents also participate in the preclinical and clinical mentoring of predoctoral students. Residents attend and/or present at professional meetings, study clubs, and continuing education courses held within and outside of the University. All residents dually enroll in the Graduate School's MS program in oral biology. Consideration to opt out of the MS degree is given to those who hold a similar degree or higher upon entering the endodontics certificate program. Regardless of enrollment in the MS degree program, all residents must participate in research and compile the results of the project in either a manuscript suitable for publication, a master’s thesis or a Ph.D. dissertation. Although there is time for treating patients, most of the biomedical science courses are scheduled in the first year of study. The second year emphasizes teaching, research activities and clinical sciences including diagnosis, treatment planning and prognosis; non-surgical and surgical endodontic treatment and retreatment; a variety of endodontic techniques; outcome evaluation; radiography and other diagnostic imaging technologies; management of medically compromised patients; emergency treatment for endodontic conditions; management of orofacial pain and anxiety; preparation of space for intraradicular restorations in endodontically treated teeth; communication with patients and health care professionals; and the use of magnification and light in endodontic treatment.

Site of Training

The training site is the University of Maryland School of Dentistry's Postgraduate Endodontics Practice.

Number of Positions

Three per year

Special Admission Guidelines

• High scholastic achievement.
• Clinical experience weighted heavily.
• A personal interview is desirable.

Length of Program

26 months, Certificate with Master’s degree.

Twenty-six (26) months.

Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology

Objectives

• To prepare students for a career as an oral pathologist in clinical practice and/or academics.
• To allow individuals to obtain substantial experience in clinical care, teaching and research.
• To fulfill the educational requirements for specialty certification by the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology.

Scope of Training

Students gain experience and training in surgical oral pathology, oral medicine, radiology, clinical pathology, systemic pathology and the basic sciences. An extensive series of lectures, seminars, literature review, applied teaching and case conferences are conducted to provide a comprehensive curriculum that meets the requirements for the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology certification. Each student is required to complete a research project and do a poster presentation or prepare a manuscript for publication. By the end of the specialty training, residents can apply to have their completed graduate coursework count towards the course requirements for the Master of Science (M.S.) or Philosophy Doctorate (Ph.D.) in Oral and Experimental Pathology through the Graduate School, University of Maryland. Candidacy research work of an extra 2 to 3 years shall lead to a Ph.D. thesis dissertation.

Site of Training

Most clinical training and didactic courses are conducted within the Department of Oncology and Diagnostic Sciences, School of Dentistry and Department of Surgical Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Maryland Baltimore campus. Training can also be received in Veterans Affairs Medical Center or other schools of The University of Maryland campus, The Johns Hopkins University and the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Number of Positions

Five

Length of Program

Three years (36 months)

Special Admission Requirements

• DDS, DMD, or equivalent degree
• Students must have acceptable scholastic achievement at the pre-doctoral level
• Admission through the Dental School
• Professional experience
• Personal interview may apply

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

Objectives

• To prepare individuals for a career in the specialty of oral and maxillofacial surgery.
• To fulfill educational requirements for specialty certification by the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.
• To fulfill the requirements for specialty training of the Commission on Dental Accreditation.
• To fulfill fellowship requirements set forth by the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.
• To fulfill the educational requirements for the MD degree and licensure.
• To fulfill the educational requirements for general surgery internship program completion.

Scope of Training

MD Integrated

During the first year, trainees enter residency training in oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) at the University of Maryland Medical System and University of Maryland School of Dentistry as well as the University of Maryland School of Medicine. During their first three months trainees are on the OMFS service during which time they participate in clinical exodontia procedures and other dentoalveolar surgery. They also attend patient rounds, oral pathology seminars, a course in physical diagnosis, combined surgical orthodontic conferences, clinical pathology conferences, implant conferences. They also begin their medical school training which consists of 8 months of medical school followed by a return to the OMFS service for the final month of the academic year.

In the second year of the program trainees spend seven months tending to their medical school responsibilities, three months rotating with the Department of Anesthesia and two months on the OMFS service.

During year three of the program trainees spend eleven months with the medical school with the final month spent back on the OMFS service. After successfully completing all medical school requirements and passing USMLE steps 1 and 2 the trainees will graduate with a medical degree.

In the fourth year of training, the trainees will enter a one-year internship in general surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center. This one-year period of training will qualify the resident to obtain medical licensure in most states. During this period, the trainee will gain experience in both general medical management of the surgical patient and in principles of general surgery with rotations in trauma surgery, plastic surgery, transplant, vascular, pediatric, surgical intensive care as well as an additional two months of anesthesia experience.

The fifth year of the residency program is at University of Maryland Medical System and the School of Dentistry. Fifth-year trainees perform complex ambulatory surgery in the surgery clinics of the School of Dentistry and University of Maryland Medical Center. In addition, fifth-year trainees are introduced to major maxillofacial surgery procedures in the operating room. Trainees rotate through community private practices. Trainees attend all departmental conferences and receive advanced instruction in oral and maxillofacial surgery. Research is considered an important factor, and all trainees are required to participate in a research project during the fifth year, suitable for presentation at the American Association of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons annual meeting and eventual publication. Fifth-year trainees generally attend at least one regional conference of interest to oral and maxillofacial surgery.

The sixth year of residency is at the University of Maryland Medical System and the Shock Trauma Center. The sixth year trainees are responsible for the direction of the surgical team and for the care of patients delivered by the OMFS service. The chief resident functions as first assistant for all of the operating room surgical procedures performed during the year. During this year, residents participate in all conferences held by the department and continue their research projects. Generation of at least one publication or presentation of an abstract at the AAOMS annual meeting is expected.

During the course of the program, trainees will rotate through training sites at the School of Dentistry, University of Maryland Medical System, Shock Trauma Center, Sinai Hospital, Greater Baltimore Medical Center, University of Maryland Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Associates, and through local private practice locations.

Four Year Track

Objectives

•      To prepare individuals for a career in the specialty of oral and maxillofacial surgery.

•      To fulfill educational requirements for specialty certification by the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

•      To fulfill the requirements for specialty training of the Commission on Dental Accreditation.  

•      To fulfill the educational requirements for general surgery internship program completion.

Scope of Training 

During the first year, trainees enter the training program in oral and maxillofacial surgery at the University of Maryland Medical System and University of Maryland School of Dentistry. Students participate in clinical exodontia procedures and other dentoalveolar surgery. They attend patient rounds, oral pathology seminars, a course in physical diagnosis with other dental residents, combined surgical-orthodontic conferences, implant conferences, and they are assigned a three month medicine rotation.

During the second year, trainees are assigned to a two-month trauma surgery rotation at the Shock Trauma Center, a four-month rotation with the Department of General Surgery, a five month rotation with the Department of Anesthesia, and one month on the OMFS service.

The third year of the residency program is at University of Maryland Medical System and the School of Dentistry. Third-year trainees perform complex ambulatory surgery in the surgery clinics of the School of Dentistry and University of Maryland Medical Center. In addition, third-year trainees are introduced to major maxillofacial surgery procedures in the operating room. Trainees rotate through community private practices. Trainees attend all departmental conferences and receive advanced instruction in oral and maxillofacial surgery. Research is considered an important factor, and all trainees are required to participate in a research project during the third year, suitable for presentation at the American Association of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons annual meeting and eventual publication. Third-year trainees generally attend at least one regional conference of interest to oral and maxillofacial surgery.

The fourth year of residency is at the University of Maryland Medical System and the Shock Trauma Center. The fourth year trainees are responsible for the direction of the surgical team and for the care of patients delivered by the OMFS service. The chief resident functions as first assistant for all of the operating room surgical procedures performed during the year. During this year, residents participate in all conferences held by the department and continue their research projects. Generation of at least one publication or presentation of an abstract at the AAOMS annual meeting is expected.

Site of Training

During the course of the program, trainees will rotate through training sites at the School of Dentistry, University of Maryland Medical System, Shock Trauma Center, Sinai Hospital, Greater Baltimore Medical Center, University of Maryland Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Associates, and through local private practice locations.

Facilities

Training sites are all fully equipped for the performance of both routine and complex oral and maxillofacial surgical assessment and management.

Number of Positions

Three residency positions per year (2 six year positions; 1 four year position)

Special Admission Guidelines

• Applicants should rank in the upper 15 percent of their dental class.
• Applicants should have completed the NBME CBSE examination.
• Applicants require three letters of recommendation.
• A formal interview is required before acceptance of candidates. 
• In accordance with University of Maryland School of Medicine policy, applicants to the combined OMFS MD-integrated program must be U.S. or Canadian citizens and have a U.S. or Canadian undergraduate degree.

Length of Program

Two different training tracks are offered. Two positions per year in the MD-integrated track which requires six years for completion and the 4 year training program.

Orthodontics

Objectives

• To educate and train postdoctoral students in the knowledge, skills and critical judgement required to practice the specialty of orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics.
• To develop the postdoctoral student's ability to understand, assess and add to clinical research by participation in scholarly research activities.
• To prepare the postdoctoral student to fulfill the requirements necessary for certification by the American Board of Orthodontics.
• To prepare the postdoctoral student to become educators in their field of expertise.
• To encourage the postdoctoral student to provide service to the community by participating in volunteer activities.

Scope of Training

Students gain experience in the treatment of patients with all types of dentofacial deformities. A broad mastery of alternative techniques with different variations of the Straight wire appliance is emphasized, along with modern forms of removable appliances, such as aligners. Treatment is provided for adults, adolescents, and children. Students also provide orthodontic treatment in complex rehabilitation cases in coordination with graduate students in prosthodontics, periodontics, endodontics, and pediatric dentistry. Surgical orthognathic cases are treated in conjunction with oral and maxillofacial surgery residents at the University of Maryland Medical System.

Through an extensive series of lectures, seminars, and case conferences, a comprehensive didactic background in relevant basic sciences and clinical orthodontics is provided. Each student, working with faculty supervisors chosen from the dental school and university, must complete an original research project.

While pursuing a certificate in orthodontics, students are enrolled in a Master of Science degree program in biomedical sciences. Courses taken for the master’s degree also satisfy some certificate requirements. Students also serve as instructors in the predoctoral didactic, pre-clinical and clinical programs.

Site of Training

Most of the clinical and didactic program takes place within the School of Dentistry. The clinical program is conducted in a modern, seventeen chair clinic. Off-campus experiences include attendance at the craniofacial anomalies clinic at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. The program brings in guest lecturers, and students attend continuing education courses sponsored by the Maryland State Society of Orthodontics, The Middle Atlantic Society of Orthodontists, and the American Association of Orthodontists.

Number of Positions

Four

Length of Program

Three years

Pediatric Dentistry

Pediatric Dentistry

Objectives

To prepare residents for a career in private practice and/or academics with emphasis on advocacy and community engagement;

To produce proficient, conscientious, evidence-based clinicians, dedicated to a lifetime of professional development and learning;

To prepare graduates for achieving certification by American Board of Pediatric Dentistry;

To prepare residents to participate in research, scientific writing, and case presentation;

To provide empathetic quality care to patients;

To maintain a cost-effective postgraduate program.

Scope of Training

The Postgraduate Program in Pediatric Dentistry is designed to prepare the student for a career in patient care in a private practice or a hospital setting. The student is expected to develop clinical skills in treating pediatric patients including those with special healthcare needs, as well as to function effectively in the hospital environment treating patients with complex medical problems. This program combined with a master’s or doctorate is intended for the clinician who wishes to pursue a career as a teacher/researcher and emphasizes scientific methodology together with research experience to develop skills required for independent research. Upon successful completion of all requirements, the student is awarded a Certificate in Pediatric Dentistry and meets the advanced education eligibility requirements of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry.

The Postgraduate Program in Pediatric Dentistry is based primarily at the University of Maryland Dental School on the campus of the Health Sciences Center of the University of Maryland. The academic course work occupies approximately 20 percent of the postdoctoral students’ time and includes: case conferences, research methods, orthodontic diagnosis, laboratory technique, literature review, oral pathology, general anesthesia rotation, pediatrics rotation and applied teaching.  Each postdoctoral student is required to present research.

Site of Training

The primary site of training is the University of Maryland School of Dentistry which has a 22-chair clinic devoted to Pediatric Dentistry. Other sites include the University of Maryland Medical Center, University of Maryland Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Center (Kernan Hospital), Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Mount Washington Pediatric Hospital.

Number of Positions

Four positions in MATCH

Special Admission Guidelines

•      PASS/MATCH Program

•      Documentation of scholastic achievement, motivation and leadership. Recommendations from individuals well acquainted with the candidate.

•      Professional experience.

•      Personal interview.

  Length of Program

Two years (3 years for master’s degree)

Periodontics

Objectives

1. Cultivate clinicians who exhibit proficiency with diagnosis, treatment planning, and comprehensive management of periodontal diseases and dental implantology.

2. Develop practitioners who achieve proficiency with management and long-term supportive therapy of the periodontal and implant patient.

3. Provide graduates with a foundation in the scientific basis of periodontics and implantology, with particular emphasis on the critical use of scholarship.

4. Prepare clinicians to work in cooperation with specialists, general practitioners, and other health care professionals in the delivery of optimal comprehensive oral health care.

5. Promote the growth of leaders who discover and disseminate specialty knowledge and clinical skills, contributing to the community and profession.

6. Prepare graduates to become Diplomates of the American Board of Periodontology.

Scope of Training

The Advanced Dental Education Program in Periodontics (ADE PERIO) is designed to train residents in all facets of periodontology and implantology, and to prepare them for examination by the American Board of Periodontology.  The program is based in a core curriculum of traditional periodontics that includes training in all aspects of diagnosis, prognosis and treatment planning.  Diversity in the training of faculty exposes each resident to various concepts of conventional non-surgical and surgical therapy.  Residents receive extensive training in implantology that includes surgical preparation of the implant site and placement of the implants.  Clinical experiences also include contemporary bone regeneration techniques for alveolar ridge and maxillary sinus augmentation.  Postgraduate students receive in-depth instruction in all areas of conscious sedation, including clinical exposure to intravenous sedation.  Residents gain experience in supportive periodontal therapy.  Residents will have experiences in teaching -- providing preclinical and clinical supervision to pre-doctoral dental students.  

Residents receive experience in treating patients with all categories of periodontal diseases, particularly those patients with advanced stages of the diseases. Lectures, seminars, and conferences are held in diagnosis, prognosis, treatment planning, and practice management. 

Seminars are conducted with other specialties to interrelate all fields of dentistry and medicine; with guest consultants who are experts in their field; and with postdoctoral students in periodontics from other teaching institutions. 

Residents may apply and register as graduate students in the Master of Science program in Biomedical Sciences through the Graduate School, University of Maryland, Baltimore.  Graduate coursework completed as part of the specialty program fulfills course requirements for this degree program.  Residents are required to conduct a research project and to complete a thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the M.S degree and specialty program.  Graduates of the periodontics program receive a Certificate in Periodontics and the M.S. in Biomedical Sciences.

Site of Training

The site of training is the School of Dentistry, 650 West Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21201.  Some coursework, for laboratory medicine, is taken at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Number of Positions

Generally, three residents per year.

Special Admission Guidelines

•      Applicants must pass the Integrated National Board Dental Examination (INBDE) before matriculation.

•      Competitive applicants rank in the upper quintile of their dental class.

•      An interview is required before acceptance of candidates.

Length of Program

Three years (36 months)

Prosthodontics

Objectives

• To provide a historical perspective of prosthodontics in a manner that will permit and encourage the student to make objective evaluations.
• To provide a comprehensive background of those biologic and allied sciences relevant to diagnosis, planning, and treatment of routine and complex prosthodontic problems.
• To provide clinical treatment experiences in the various aspects of prosthodontics with emphasis upon attainment of skills and judgment in treating complex patients.
• To prepare the candidate for examination by the American Board of Prosthodontics.
• To prepare the candidate for teaching at predoctoral or postgraduate levels.

Scope of Training

Students are trained to manage and treat complex prosthodontic patients, to include implants-surgical and restorative, maxillofacial, fixed, and removable cases. Lectures, seminars and conferences are held in basic biologic sciences and allied dental sciences related to prosthodontics. Postgraduate students gain experience in teaching as they provide clinical instruction to predoctoral dental students. Training in research methodology is an integral part of the program and culminates as each candidate conducts and presents a research project. A Master of Science degree is available and encouraged.

Site of Training

Major site of training is the dental school.

Number of Positions

Three

Special Admission Guidelines

• Students must have acceptable scholastic achievement at the predoctoral level.
• Clinical experience is preferred.
• A personal interview is required.
• References are required.

Length of Program 

Three years (36 months)