About the Program
The Advanced Education program in Periodontics is a course of study leading to the award of a Certificate in Periodontics. The program provides a comprehensive course of study in clinical and didactic periodontics, satisfying the requirements for eligibility for the American Board of Periodontology.
The program provides the residents with evidence-based biological, scientific, and clinical information and experiences to diagnose and treat all forms of periodontal disease at a proficient level. The resident becomes thoroughly familiar with the periodontal literature and receives broad clinical experiences in examination, prognosis determination, and all accepted modes of periodontal therapy. Residents are encouraged to continue learning experiences after completion of the program by means of the critical review of the literature, active participation in continuing education, leadership in organized dentistry, and clinical research. Hospital dentistry and a varied patient population are achieved through the Georgia Health Sciences Health System and an affiliation with the Veterans Administration Medical Center Outpatient Dental Clinic.
Candidates for admission should possess academic credentials placing them in the upper 1/3 of their class and should demonstrate a definite interest in periodontics. Additional experience beyond dental school including internships, residencies, private practice, military service, or graduate studies will strengthen the applicant’s credentials. A personal site visit and interview is usually required for acceptance into the program.
Admission Requirements
We only accept candidates who are U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents.
Dentists graduated from accredited United States and Canadian or other international dental schools that possess equivalent educational background and standing are eligible for admission to the Advanced Education program in Periodontics. Applicants must apply through PASS. The application deadline is August 1st for the upcoming year. Qualified applicants will be contacted for interviews following the deadline. Candidates are encouraged to submit application materials prior to the deadline as the review process of completed applications will begin at that time. Application materials are reviewed and candidates with the highest qualifications are selected for an interview based on the following criteria: dental and pre-professional education transcripts, class standing, National Dental Board Examination results, personal and career goals, experiences beyond predoctoral education, evidence of scholarly activity, and letters of recommendation. Applicants born outside the United States and whose native language is not English must complete the internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (iBT TOEFL). Minimum scores are 100, and 26 for the speaking component.
Program Fee, Stipends, Equipment and Benefits
Program Fee: With the exception of an initial retainer expense of $6,000, there is currently no program fee associated with the certificate program in periodontics for dentists who have graduated from accredited United States or Canadian dental schools. However, it is anticipated that a program fee will be implemented. An annual program fee for international candidates with degrees from foreign dental schools is $18,500. Internationally trained candidates must be U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents with a valid Permanent Resident Card. Residents wishing to enroll in the Master of Science in Oral Biology degree program must pay tuition for courses taken through the College of Graduate Studies. References should be made to the Tuition and Fees information for students who matriculated at GHSU section of this catalog. The retainer expense of $6,000 is to be paid on acceptance into the program, and will go towards the cost of specialty related certifications in IV sedation, head and neck anatomy, AAP In-Service Exam, and Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS). These courses are offered to GHSU residents at a reduced cost.
Stipends: Stipends are available only for residents who are citizens or permanent residents of the United States and have a DDS/DMD degree from an ADA/CODA accredited dental school. The residents in periodontics share a stipend funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Augusta VA Medical Center. Associated with this stipend is a clinical rotation of one to two half-days per week through the Outpatient Dental Clinic for the VAMC. The stipend is approximately $8,000-$11,000 per year for each resident. Augusta, Georgia is a beautiful city with a low cost of living, making GHSU an ideal location for residency training from a financial standpoint. *The department will support the resident for some of the expenses in attending annual meetings of the AAP that they are encouraged to attend.
Equipment: Periodontic residents are required to furnish their own digital camera and accessories for intra-oral photography, purchase reference books and some special instruments of their choice. Photographic equipment costs are approximately $2,000, books $500 and special instruments $500. The clinic has up-to-date equipment for periodontic and dental implant surgical procedures, and monitoring equipment for IV sedation. All other supplies and equipment associated with the clinical program are provided by the institution.
Benefits: The College of Dental Medicine provides malpractice insurance coverage for residents while providing patient care at Georgia Health Sciences University. This insurance does not cover any outside dental practice. Periodontic residents are entitled to GHSU employee holidays and 10 days of vacation/personal leave per year. Periodontic residents are eligible to participate in the Student Healthcare Program at GHSU.
The Facilities
Beginning in July, 2011, the periodontic residents will treat patients in the Periodontics Surgery Clinic located in the brand new state-of-the-art College of Dental Medicine, and in the Outpatient Dental Clinic of the Augusta Uptown VA Medical Center. In the Periodontics Surgery Clinic each resident is assigned an operatory equipped with handpieces and an ultrasonic scaler. The clinic is equipped with state of the art digital periapical and bitewing radiographic capture, and has access to panographic and Cone-beam CT scanning technologies for implant surgery. All radiographic images are captured and stored electronically using MiPACS software. Clinical records, scheduling, and billing are all managed electronically with AxiUm dental management software. Residents share office space in the clinic, with each study carrousel equipped with a computer that is connected to the institutional network for e-mail, library services and internet access.
The Curriculum
The Periodontic Postdoctoral Program curriculum has three components: (1) Periodontics Specialty Courses, (2) Basic Science Core courses (Oral Biology courses), and (3) Clinical Core courses. The following is a brief description of the Periodontics Specialty course offerings:
Periodontal Classic Literature Review: A seminar on relevant readings in the periodontal literature. Articles are assigned on specific subjects and critically discussed. The etiology of periodontal disease, treatment of periodontal disease, and dental implantology are general topics that are presented on alternate years.
Periodontal Specialty Clinic: Patients with different types and severity of periodontal disease are treated using current modalities. Postdoctoral residents receive experiences with all accepted methods of periodontal treatment and with dental implant therapy.
Therapy Surgery Seminar I: This is an orientation course designed to prepare new residents for clinical activities. It includes seminar discussions and laboratory experiences of common therapeutic techniques used in advanced periodontal therapy, including periodontal data collection, intraoral photography, diagnosis and treatment planning, behavior modification, mucogingival surgery, flaps, pedicile and free gingival grafts.
Periodontal Surgery Seminar: Residents present intraoral photographic slides which were obtained during periodontal surgery for critical evaluation and discussion of the objectives of the procedure employed, the anticipated results, and alternative methods of treatment.
Current Literature Review: This is a literature seminar designed to acquaint residents with the current periodontal literature. Residents review and discuss articles from current periodontology and implant associated journals (Journals of Periodontology and Clinic Periodontology, etc.) In addition, residents review and discuss contemporary articles related to specific topics of their interest in periodontics and implant dentistry.
Periodontal Research Project: Residents must be involved in a research project and prepare a research manuscript for publication.
Undergraduate Teaching: Residents have a responsibility to assist in didactic and clinical instruction for predoctoral students.
Interdisciplinary Seminars: Seminars focusing on the interrelation of periodontics with other specialties, such as endodontics, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, and prosthodontics. A thorough interdisciplinary implant seminar course is included covering different topics related to surgical and prosthetic aspects of implant dentistry.
Periodontal Practice Management: Seminar on procedures that are used in a practice limited to periodontics. Topics include business systems, referrals, office space, management, and dental assistant utilization.
Periodontal Pathology: Histologic alterations of the periodontal tissue associated with various forms of periodontal pathology are studied with the aid of the microscope. These changes are correlated with clinical signs and symptoms.
Mock Board Examination: Annual oral examinations on different unseen clinical scenarios and cases are given to the residents, simulating the same format of the American Board of Periodontology oral examination.
Treatment Planning Seminars: Residents in periodontics present clinical data and diagnoses of patients treated in our clinic, leading to a comprehensive treatment plan. Discussions are held on the etiology, prognosis, and treatment plans for these patients.
Periodontal Medicine: This is a seminar course designed to discuss in-depth topics related to the oral systemic link between periodontal disease and different systemic conditions. In addition, and in-depth evidence-based review of surgical/clinical management of the medically compromised patient is included and being presented by residents via presentation software.
The Core Curriculum: Basic Science (Oral Biology) and Clinical Core courses, listed below, are taken along with residents from other specialty programs. In addition to these courses, residents also participate in an anesthesia
rotation through the operating room at the MCGHealth System Medical Center.
Oral Biology Courses:
Topics in Oral Biology I: Hard tissue biology, TMJ disorders, regeneration/repair
Topics in Oral Biology II: Orofacial infections, bleeding disorders
Topics in Oral Biology III: Pain & anxiety, dental management of the medically compromised patient, salivary glands
Topics in Oral Biology IV: Molecular pathology, orofacial anomalies
Seminar in Oral Biology
Research
Clinical Core Courses:
Physical diagnosis
Dental implantology
Dental radiology
Research design & statistics
Interdisciplinary seminar: Esthetics & function
CPR/ACLS
Policy for the Advanced Standing Student
General:
The following policy is designed to permit students with specialty training and certification in Periodontics from international or non-accredited institutions to obtain specialty training in Periodontics at Georgia Health Sciences University with advanced-standing status. This policy is aligned with Standard 5 of the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation Standards for Advanced Education in Periodontics.
Advanced-standing students must complete the application for admission to the Advanced Education Program in Periodontics and must comply with established interview and selection criteria following the existing protocol. Academic records and transcripts must be evaluated by one of the National Evaluating Services and the evaluation must be submitted with the application to be verified for equivalency of education and training. National Boards (Part 1 and Part 2) are encouraged but not required.
Didactic Training:
The advanced-standing student’s previous periodontal-specialty-level course work and grades will be assessed with the aid of appropriate agencies to assure a similar curriculum and an acceptable level of performance. Course deficiencies will be addressed by the student’s successful completion of appropriate courses and/or by examination. The advanced-standing student must take any required courses in sequence with the established program curriculum during the credentialing process.
The advanced-standing student must take and pass the American Academy of Periodontology In-Service Examination with an overall percentile ranking (all residents-all years of training) score of 70%.
Clinical Training:
The advanced-standing student will be assigned a variety of patients/procedures and must demonstrate the appropriate levels of skill in periodontal diagnosis and treatment planning, and in the performance of clinical procedures pertinent to the specialty of periodontics. The advanced-standing student’s clinical skills will be evaluated by periodontics faculty by means of clinical supervision, clinical proficiency examinations, ABP simulations, and in case presentations.
Clinical rotations will be modified according to availability, needs, and establishment of competency and proficiency. Teaching expectations will be modified according to availability and needs.
Advanced-standing students must perform clinical procedures pertinent to the specialty of periodontics at levels of skill described in the accreditation standards (i.e. exposed, competent, and proficient). The advanced-standing student must prepare fully-documented case presentations on patients that have been treated in the GHSU Periodontics Clinic. These cases must be treated through completion of periodontal therapy. The advanced-standing student must pass mock ABP board examinations.
Research Training:
The advanced-standing student must conduct a research project and prepare a publishable manuscript for submission to an acceptable, peer-reviewed, professional journal.
Completion of the Program:
A certificate for Advanced Education in Periodontics will be awarded following satisfactory completion of the didactic, clinical, and research training. The length of training will be determined by the level of knowledge and skill demonstrated by the advanced-standing student, with a minimum expectation of 12 months of full-time effort.
The Master’s Degree Program
The College of Graduate Studies offers a Master of Science in Oral Biology degree which may be taken in conjunction with the certificate curriculum. This joint program gives the student more extensive experience in research and basic science education and requires and in-depth original research project leading to a defended thesis. Tuition is charged on a per credit hour bases for the graduate courses taken. The applicant must be accepted by the College of Graduate Studies and the Department of Oral Biology. Application to the graduate program is made after acceptance to the certificate program.
A Ph.D. in Oral Biology may also be pursued concurrently with speciality training.
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