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 university Health System and an affiliation with the Veterans Administration Medical Center Outpatient Dental Clinic.
Upon successful completion of this program a student will be able to:
- Qualify to take the American Board of Periodontology Examination.
Admission Requirements
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.
Please see the Dental College of Georgia website for specific admissions information:
http://www.gru.edu/dentalmedicine/adved/perio.php
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 Doctor of Philosophy with a Major in Oral Biology and Maxillofacial Pathology may also be pursued concurrently with specialty training.
Program Fee, Stipends, Equipment and Benefits
Program Fee: With the exception of an initial retainer expense of $10,000, 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. The retainer expense of $10,000 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 residents at a reduced cost.
Stipends: Stipends are available only for residents who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents 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, 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 Dental College of Georgia 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 eligible to participate in the Student Healthcare Program.
Leave: Residents are entitled to employee holidays, though assignments for emergency coverage must be maintained. Residents may be entitled to up to 12 days annual leave, and 5 days of professional leave, at the discretion of the Program Director. 12 Days of medical leave are also granted to residents as outlined in the College of Dental Medicine Leave Policy for Dental Residents.
The Facilities
The periodontic residents will treat patients in the Periodontics Surgery Clinic located in the brand new state-of-the-art Dental College of Georgia, 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 hand pieces 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.
Policy for the Advanced Standing Student
Addendum I Advanced Standing Student
The following policy is designed to permit students with specialty training in Periodontics from foreign or non-accredited institutions to obtain specialty training in Periodontics in the Dental College of Georgia 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.
1. The advanced-standing student must complete the application for admission to the Advanced Education Program in Periodontics (found at http://www.gru.edu/dentalmedicine/adved/advedappinfo.php) and must comply with established interview and selection criteria following the existing protocol. 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 (for information see http://www.gru.edu/dentalmedicine/adved/perio.php). 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.
2. 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 and in case presentation format.
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, but will not exceed 10% of the resident’s time.
3. The advanced-standing student 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).
4. The advanced-standing student must prepare fully documented case presentations on patients that have been treated in the Periodontics Clinic. These cases must be treated through completion of periodontal therapy.
5. The advanced-standing student must pass a mock board examination.
Research Training:
6. The advanced-standing student must conduct a research project and prepare a publishable manuscript for submission to an acceptable, peer-reviewed, professional journal.
The certificate for Advanced Education in Periodontics will be awarded following satisfactory completion of items 1 through 6. 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 18 months of full time effort. For the advanced standing resident with a PhD, the resident may have extra focus on research, but will comply with a minimum of 30 months in the program.
Students with dental degrees from foreign institutions, not accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association will be assessed an annual Program Fee ($18,500) to cover the educational costs of the program based on the criteria below:
- All residents in advanced dental education programs who do NOT have a dental degree (DMD or DDS) from a dental school that is accredited by the ADA Commission on Dental Accreditation, must pay an annual program fee for the entirety of their training program.
- The program fee applies to all residents who do NOT have a dental degree from a CODA-accredited dental school regardless of their citizenship or state of residence status.
- Conversely, residents who are not U.S. Citizens but who have a dental degree from a CODA-Accredited dental school are not required to pay this fee.
- Applicable residents should be charged an annual program fee of no less than $18,500. Programs that wish to charge higher program fees must provide written justification of the need for the higher program fee and obtain approval from the Office of the Dean.
Department Information
Program Director: Kobi Stern, DMD
Department Phone: 706-721-2442
Accreditation: The Advanced Education program in Periodontics is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation and have been granted the accreditation status of approved. The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at (312) 440-4653 or at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611-2678. The Commission’s web address is http://www.ada.org/en/coda.
Gainful Employment Link
Gainful Employment Disclosure
Periodontic Residency Program
ONET Code: 29-1029.00 Dentists, All other Specialists
CIP Code: 60.0107
OPEID: 01579
CIP Program Description: A residency training program that prepares dentists in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases affecting the gums and supporting structures of the teeth, and in the placement and maintenance of dental implants.
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