ADVANCED EDUCATION IN GENERAL DENTISTRY
Dan Nathanson, DMD, MSD, Chair, Department of Restorative Sciences and Biomaterials
John Ictech-Cassis, DMD, Program Director
The advanced education in general dentistry program, which begins on July 1 and continues for 12 months to June 30, is an educational program leading to a CAGS. The program offers patient care, didactic, and hospital experience at the postdoctoral level and enhances the new graduate's competence and confidence as a dental practitioner. Through expert guidance, the program increases the student's management abilities, clinical judgment, and patient care skills.The program benefits from the school's unique position as the largest postdoctoral training facility in the country. Stipends are offered to a limited number of qualified students.
Boston University has a special commitment to superior patient care programs. One manifestation of this commitment is an excellent and experienced faculty working intensively with students on a one-to-one basis. The establishment of a university-wide employee dental health plan and the opening of a second dental health care facility help ensure an optimum patient load.
The program's main areas of development are:
1. General Dentistry
2. Resident Education
3. Patient Care
4. Community Service
Proficiencies and Competencies
Graduates will be proficient in patient assessment and diagnosis; planning and providing comprehensive multidisciplinary oral health care including the clear communication of treatment plan to patients; obtaining informed consent; restoration of teeth; the replacement of teeth using fixed and removable appliances; periodontal therapy; pulpal therapy; hard/soft tissue surgery; treatment of medical and dental emergencies; medical risk management; requesting and responding to requests for consultations from physicians and other health care providers; diagnosis; and treatment planning, and progress and outcomes of patient treatment.
Graduates will be competent in the management of pain and anxiety in delivering outpatient care using behavioral and pharmacological modalities beyond local anesthesia (sedation, pain and anxiety control); principles of practice management; the review of relevant scientific literature; evaluating patient total health needs integrating biomedical science concepts with clinical dentistry to provide a diagnosis that takes into consideration the patient’s overall biological and psychosocial needs; self assessment skills; monitoring effectively and evaluating their own work to improve quality and quantity of performance; and supervising and evaluating the work of dental auxiliaries to improve quality and quantity of their performance.
Clinical Rotations
Residents will participate in clinical rotations in pediatrics, geriatrics, oral surgery, and orthodontics.
Stipend
Stipends are awarded to most AEGD residents trained in the United States or Canada. International residents are given stipends based on availability. Applicants are notified as early as their first interview whether they qualify for a stipend position. The stipend is approximately $25,000. Tuition is not charged to residents in the AEGD program.
Benefits
Personal days
Residents will be given a maximum of eight personal days. These may be used for board exams, interviews, religious holidays, etc. There are no sick days. If a resident is out due to illness, personal days will be deducted.
Holidays
There are 12 university-recognized holidays during which the school is closed.
Between the first and second semesters there is an approximately two-week vacation for residents. This usually begins mid-December and lasts until the first week of January.
Instruments
All supplies and materials are provided for residents during their year in the Dental Health Center. It is recommended that residents purchase an intraoral camera for case documentation.
Clinic Schedule
Residents are scheduled in the clinic five days a week for a total of 40 hours. Residents are currently required to work four days from 9 am-5 pm and one day from 11 am-7 pm. This schedule is subject to change. Classes are held either before clinic from 8 am-9 am or after clinic from 5:30 pm-7 pm.
Curriculum
First Semester
SDM EN 820 Endodontics and Pulpal Therapy for the General Practitioner 1 cr, 1st sem.
SDM OS 761 Medical Concerns of the Dental Patient 2 cr, 1st and 2nd sem.
SDM OS 824 Advanced Physical Diagnosis 1 cr, 1st sem.
SDM PE 764 Current Concepts in Periodontology 1 cr, 1st sem.
SDM PR 809 Prosthodontics Seminar and Literature Review 1 cr, 1st sem.
SDM PR 813 Literature Review in General Dentistry 1 cr, 1st and 2nd sem.
SDM PR 828 Esthetic Dentistry 2 cr, 1st and 2nd sem.
SDM PR 840 Practice Management for the General Practitioner 2 cr, 1st and 2nd sem.
SDM PR 852 Implantology for the General Practitioner 1cr, 1st and 2nd sem.
SDM PR 905 General Dentistry Clinic 15 cr, 1st and 2nd sem.
Second Semester
SDM OR 760 Orthodontics in General Dentistry .5 cr, 2nd sem.
SDM OS 828 Anxiety and Pain Control 1 cr, 2nd sem.
SDM PA 801 Oral Pathology 2cr, 2nd sem.
SDM PD 760 Pediatric Dentistry Seminar .5 cr, 2nd sem.
SDM PE 827 Applied Dental Pharmacology 1 cr, 2nd sem.
SDM PE 830 Clinical Applications of Oral Medicine and Oral Pathology
1 cr, 2nd sem.
SDM PH 763 Bioethics and Law 1 cr, 2nd sem.
SDM PH 780 Geriatrics and Gerontology Seminar 1 cr, 2nd sem.
SDM PR 810 Case Presentation and Patient Care Conference 1 cr, 2nd sem.
At the discretion of the Program Director and/or Department Chair, research students may participate in clinical activities during their research years.
