Advanced Education Programs

The Dental Branch offers three types of programs which are designed for the dentist who wishes to pursue advanced education. These programs are: graduate (degree & certificate), postgraduate (certificate), and residency (certificate).

Graduate
The graduate program leads to a Master of Science in Dentistry (MSD) degree and a certificate in a specialty area of dentistry. Programs are designed to meet the eligibility requirements for examination by the particular American Specialty Board and accreditation standards of the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation. The following clinical specialties are offered: Endodontics, Prosthodontics and Periodontics.

The curriculum in the graduate programs varies between programs based upon discipline specific requirements. Orientation in research and human subjects is required for students pursuing a graduate degree. A thesis is required, and the total length of the program varies with the area of specialty. The minimum period of time is five or six academic semesters and three summer sessions, depending on the requirements of the particular specialty. Graduate programs are combined programs and under no circumstances are the Degree and Certificate awarded separately.

Postgraduate

The postgraduate program leads to a certificate in general dentistry or a specialty area and an optional Master of Science in Dentistry degree consisting primarily of basic science courses, clinical science courses and seminars, and a clinical program designed to meet eligibility requirements for examination by the particular American Specialty Board and accreditation standards of the Commission on Dental Accreditation. The following specialties are offered: Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry. General Dentistry Programs include the Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) and the General Practice Residency (GPR). A thesis is required for the Master of Science in Dentistry degree. Orientation in research methodology and human subjects’ research is required for students pursuing a specialty certificate. The award of the certificate is contingent upon satisfactory completion of the required basic and clinical science courses, clinical conferences, appropriate clinical training for the area of specialization and research project if required by the department.

Residency
Residency programs lead to a certificate and consist primarily of basic science courses, clinical science courses and a clinical program designed to meet eligibility requirements for examination by the particular American Specialty Board and accreditation standards of the Commission on Dental Accreditation. The specialty program offered is in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Four-year certificate and six-year combined MD/certificate Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery programs are included. The award of certificate is contingent upon satisfactory completion of all program requirements.

• (of the year preceding the date of expected enrollment)

  Periodontics - August 15
  Endodontics - August 15
  Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery (OMS) - September 15
  Orthodontics - October 1
  Pediatric Dentistry - October 1
  General Practice Residency (GPR) - October 1
  Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) - October 1
  Prosthodontics - November 1

Generally, applicants for advanced education programs are considered on the basis of the following criteria:

• • Completed Application
  • Grade Point Average
  • Class Standing
  • Official Transcript/Pattern of Academic Achievement
  • Graduate Record Examination (if required by program)
  • National Board Scores
  • Experience and Training
  • Recommendations
  • Specific Program Requirements
  • Personal interview (when requested by the program)

Other specific information may be requested by a program for consideration.

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Aptitude Test is a requirement to apply to the Orthodontics program. The codes to use for the UT Dental Branch are 6906 or 6907.

Information for candidates and schedules of tests may be obtained by writing to:

Graduate Record Examination
Educational Testing Service
P.O. Box 6000
Princeton, New Jersey 08541-6000

By phone:
(609) 771-7670 or (866) 473-4373

By visiting their website at:
http://www.gre.org

MATCH

National Matching Services Inc.
P.O. Box 1208
Lewiston, NY 14092-8208

By phone:
(609) 771-7500

By visiting their website at:
http://www.natmatch.com/dentres

TOEFL
Applicants who are nationals of countries where English is not the primary language are requested to submit scores from the Test of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL). The codes to use for the UT Dental Branch are 6906 or 6907.

Information for candidates and schedules of tests may be obtained by writing to:

TOEFL Services
Educational Testing Services
P.O. Box 6151
Princeton, NJ 08541-6151

By phone:
(609) 771-7500 or (877) 863-3546

By visiting their website at:
http://www.ets.org/toefl/

Office of Student Financial Aid
The University of Texas
Health Science Center at Houston
P.O. Box 20036
Houston, Texas 77225
(713) 500-3860

Stipend Availability
Contact the specific program for eligibility and stipend amounts.

Program Director: Raymond K. Simmons, DDS, DMSC

Contact: Sudarat Kiat-Amnuay, DDS, MS, FACP, FAAMP, FICOI, FIAOO
Director of Postgraduate General Dentistry Clinics, Prosthodontist

Website address: http://www.db.uth.tmc.edu/aegd

The Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) Program is a one-year, broad-based clinical and didactic experience in comprehensive general dentistry. This program is based at the University Dental Center (UDC) in the University of Texas Physician building. The program currently accepts five to six (5-6) residents per year. Each resident spends 12 months in the AEGD clinic, a modern well-equipped area with eleven operatories (share with GPR residency program). Residents work directly with chairside assistants, a dental hygienist and secretaries/receptionists. The facilities and staff support all clinical, educational, and research activities of the program.

Clinical and didactic instruction covers the range of dental disciplines, emphasizing practice management and care for dentally-complex patients. The program is considered a group practice where, in addition to continuing education, residents are expected to meet production goals and determine the best way to meet those goals. The resident may pursue special interests in dentistry, such as specific clinical disciplines and additional research during the year

The program also offers one position in the optional second-year program to a finishing first-year resident. The second-year program is unique from the first-year and includes advanced instruction in various dental disciplines.

In addition, the individual resident can identify major area of interest, such as specific clinical disciplines, teaching, or research. Upon satisfactory completion of the program, residents receive a certificate in general dentistry from the Dental Branch.

Admission from Non-ADA Accredited Schools

Admission from Non-ADA Accredited Schools Graduates from non-ADA accredited schools may be required to complete this school's minimum 6-month Preceptorship in General Dentistry to apply for the Program. Questions on this may be directed to the Program Director, Dr. Sudarat Kiat-amnuay or Mrs. Yvette Haas (Department of Continuing Education). Furthermore, completion of the Preceptorship does not guarantee admission to the Graduate General Dentistry Programs. Information on the Preceptorship is available from the Office of Continuing Education Office of Continuing Education.

Program Director: Raymond Simmons, DDS

Website address: http://www.db.uth.tmc.edu/gpr

The General Practice Residency Program is a one-year experience in hospital dentistry based in the university's affiliate hospital, Memorial Hermann Hospital. Currently, the program accepts eight (8) residents each year. Each resident spends approximately nine months at the University Dental Center at Hermann, a state-of-the-art facility which supports all clinical, educational, and research activities of the program. The remaining three months of the year are scheduled rotations in anesthesia, internal medicine and oral & maxillofacial surgery. Clinical and didactic instruction covers a wide range of disciplines, including clinical dentistry, emergency medical care, inpatient care & hospital organization, pain control and anesthesiology, oral surgery, oral pathology & radiology, practice management, research, special patient care, and temporomandibular disorders.

The overall objectives of the program are: (1) to provide advanced training in the general practice of dentistry at the postdoctoral level; (2) to provide clinical and hospital experience and community service in comprehensive and emergency oral care to a wide range of patients with regard to dental complexity, medically, physically and mentally compromising conditions, including age (geriatric and pediatric) and socioeconomic status (indigent and privileged); (3) to provide extensive clinical, didactic and hospital opportunities for interdisciplinary interaction between the resident and other health care providers; (4) to provide didactic information and clinical guidance in communicative, behavioral management and practice management skills and apply them to the practice of dentistry; and (5), to provide an appropriate environment for critical review and presentation of literature and the pursuit of individual research interests and career goals.

In addition, the individual resident can identify major areas of interest, such as specific clinical disciplines, teaching, or research. Upon satisfactory completion of the program, residents receive a certificate in general practice from the Dental Branch.

The program also offers positions in the optional second-year program to a finishing first-year resident. The second-year program is unique from the first-year, and includes advanced instruction and experience in conscious sedation, medical management, implantology, and an opportunity to teach students at the pre-doctoral level.

Admission from Non-ADA Accredited Schools

Graduates from non-ADA accredited schools may be required to complete this school’s minimum 6-month Preceptorship in General Dentistry to apply for the Program. Questions on this may be directed to the Program Director . Furthermore, completion of the Preceptorship does not guarantee admission to the Graduate General Dentistry Programs. Information on the Preceptorship is available from the Office of Continuing Education.

For more information, please visit the GPR website.

Program Director: Samuel O. Dorn, D.D.S.

The Advanced Education Program in Endodontics offers an opportunity to earn both a certificate in Endodontics and a Master of Science degree following 3 years of full-time academic endeavor. The graduate program accepts two (2) students each year.

The clinical practice aspect of the program occupies approximately 50 percent of the time, affording a broad-based clinical experience in conventional and surgical endodontic treatment, often in coordination with residents in other dental specialty programs.

The remaining time is devoted to didactic study in both basic science and clinical science disciplines including biology of the dental pulp, endodontic surgery, review of the endodontic literature, and practice management, and research and thesis, with opportunities for clinical teaching also provided. Upon satisfactory completion of the program students receive a certificate in endodontics and a Master of Science degree from the Dental Branch. The program is designed to prepare participants for the American Board of Endodontics specialty examination.

Program Director: Mark E. K. Wong, BDS

Website address: http://omfs.hsc.uth.tmc.edu

Both a 4-year* and 6-year Advanced Education Program in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is offered*. Each program prepares practitioners to treat diseases, injuries, and defects involving both the functional and aesthetic aspects of the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region. The basic prerequisites for both 4 and 6-year programs are a DDS or DMD degree from an accredited dental school and National Dental Boards Parts I & II. Please see below for additional requirements for the integrated OMS/MD program.

Both 4 and 6-year residency programs are designed to integrate the fields of medicine and dentistry. The residency provides extensive surgical experience and exposure in areas such as oral and maxillofacial pathology, maxillofacial trauma, reconstruction, cleft palate, orthognathic, dentoalveolar surgery, implants, TMJ and aesthetic surgery as well as outpatient anesthesia.

*Special provisions are also available for individuals to pursue a PhD or MS during either track.

In the 4-year program, residents spend the first year performing oral and maxillofacial surgery. In the second and third years, 12 months are spent on various off-service rotations such as medicine, anesthesia, neurosurgery, and general surgery. The final year consists of 12 months of oral and maxillofacial surgery at a Chief Resident level. Upon satisfactory completion of the 4-year program, residents receive a certificate in oral & maxillofacial surgery.

The 6-year program adopts a similar schedule to the 4-year program with the primary difference consisting of requirements for obtaining the MD degree. The first year is spent with the oral and maxillofacial surgery department. In the second, third, and fourth years, residents are enrolled in medical school, completing years two, three, and four of the medical school curriculum. During the fourth year of medical school, 8 months are provided for the fulfillment of requirements related to the oral and maxillofacial surgery residency such as rotations on the oral and maxillofacial surgery and anesthesia services. The fifth year of the residency is a surgical internship year which also includes a 5 month rotation in oral and maxillofacial surgery. In the sixth year, the resident serves as a chief resident with rotations to five different hospitals. Upon satisfactory completion of the 6-year program, residents receive a certificate in oral & maxillofacial surgery and a M.D. degree.

The 6-year OMS/MD candidate must meet the admissions requirements for the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. These include:

1. A minimum of 90 undergraduate credit hours at an accredited US or Canadian university or college.
2. 1 year of college english.
3. 2 years of college biology.
4. ½ year of college calculus.
5. 1 year of Physics.
6. 2 years of college chemistry comprising of 1 year of general chemistry and 1 year of organic chemistry.

More detailed information can be found at the University of Texas Medical School website: http://www.med.uth.tmc.edu/

*The 4-year program is initially offered to U.S. military applicants. Should they not exercise their option to fill one or both of these slots, those positions will become available to non-military applicants.

Candidates from either the 4 or 6 year tracks may pursue either a MS (granted by the Dental Branch) or PhD (in conjunction with the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences). A GRE and additional courses or study may be required depending on the individual’s previous or anticipated academic experience. The additional degrees will likely extend the duration of the residency.

Program Director: Jeryl D. English, DDS, MS

The Advanced Education Program in Orthodontics is a 26-month graduate program leading to a certificate and optional Master of Science degree.

The program currently accepts seven (7) students per year. The program is clinically-based with approximately 60 percent of the time devoted to clinical treatment, 20 percent to didactic instruction and 20 percent to research and teaching activities. The student is introduced to orthodontics with an intense course in radiographic cephalometry and diagnosis and treatment planning. Patient care begins within the first six (6) weeks of the program and culminates with comprehensive case examinations at the end of the final year. The broad clinical experience is complemented by didactic studies in basic and clinical sciences that meet or exceed the requirements of the American Dental Association.

Courses in the first year provide the student with the scientific knowledge, biomechanical principles and orthodontic techniques required to diagnose, treatment plan and correct routine and complex malocclusions of growing and skeletally mature patients. Topics include: growth and development, diagnosis and treatment planning, cephalometrics and radiology, biomechanics and appliance design, dentofacial orthognathic surgery, clinical photography, current and classical literature review and orthodontic treatment/case management.

Courses in the second year provide the student with advanced knowledge in orthodontic diagnosis, case management and treatment techniques. Various approaches to routine orthodontic tooth movement, dentofacial orthopedics, surgical-orthodontics and techniques for the management of the cleft lip and palate/craniofacial deformity patient are presented. Topics include: growth and development, biomechanics, adjunctive orthodontic procedures, radiology/radiographic imaging techniques, craniofacial deformities, dentofacial orthopedics, interdisciplinary comprehensive care, temporomandibular disorders, surgical orthodontics, literature review, clinical orthodontics and risk management.

The final six (6) months of the educational program will focus on completion of research projects and thesis preparation. Emphasis will also be placed on the detailing and finishing of all remaining clinical cases under treatment. In addition, residents will employ their diagnostic and treatment planning skills for evaluation of new patients in screening clinics. Two one (1) week extramural rotations in the private offices of participating orthodontic faculty members is a highlight of the final months of the residency.

The clinical faculty is exemplary and provides the student the education necessary to practice clinically efficient orthodontics. Graduates of the orthodontic program are encouraged to become board certified. All students complete a research project for the Masters of Science degree. In addition to a thesis, a publishable version of the research is required. Upon satisfactory completion of the program, students receive a certificate in Orthodontics and a Master of Science degree.

Interim Program Director: Sanford, Fenton D.D.S., M.D.S.

The Advanced Education Program in Pediatric Dentistry is a two-year postgraduate program leading to a certificate with an optional Master of Science in Dentistry degree. The program currently accepts six (6) students per year. The GRE is not required for admission to The Advanced Education Program in Pediatric Dentistry.

The first year is concentrated in performing clinical dentistry at the pediatric dentistry clinic located in the Houston Medical Center Building. This is a new, state-of-the art clinic which opened September 1994. A didactic core curriculum is taught at the University of Texas Dental Branch. Outside rotations during the first year include pediatric medicine and general anesthesia, each of one (1) month duration. Each first-year resident is teamed with a second-year resident for emergency coverage and general anesthesia cases at Hermann Hospital, the university affiliate hospital.

During the second year, residents spend additional time on outside rotations in Hemophilia Clinic, Cleft Palate Clinic and at the University of Texas Dental Branch and Predoctoral Clinic. When the second-year resident is not on an outside rotation, he/she participates in the outpatient pediatric dentistry clinic located in the Houston Medical Center Building.

Each resident also participates in Seminars and literature review, case presentations, advanced topics in pediatric dentistry, which includes instruction in practice management and completion of a research project. Residents are prepared to pursue and achieve American Board of Pediatric Dentistry certification.

There is an option of a Master of Science in Dentistry degree within the two year period. Upon satisfactory completion of the program, students receive a certificate in pediatric dentistry and an optional Master of Science in Dentistry degree from the Dental Branch.

Program Director: Robin L. Weltman, DDS, MS

The Advanced Education Program in Periodontics is a graduate program of three years (36 months) duration leading to a Master of Science degree and currently accepting four (4) students per year. The experience is structured as a comprehensive didactic and clinical program. Didactically each student receives a broad education in basic sciences, as well as in those areas pertaining specifically to periodontics. Seminar sessions reviewing all the classical and current literature dealing with periodontics, occlusion, and implants are given throughout the program. Courses in clinical research design and biostatistics are also required. The clinical experience expands throughout the three years. It includes all aspects of periodontal therapy and implants covering all the range of periodontal procedures and oral regenerative techniques. Students also become proficient in conscious sedation, and a rotation in general anesthesia is included. Special clinical rotations are part of the training to gain experience with special patient populations and integration with other specialties is promoted. The completion of a research project is mandatory as a requirement for the MS degree. Upon completion of the program students will be eligible to take the examination given by the American Board of Periodontology to achieve Diplomat Status. Upon satisfactory completion of the program students receive a certificate in periodontics and a Master of Science degree from the Dental Branch.

Program Director Donald M. Belles, DMD, MS, FACP

The Advanced Education Program in Prosthodontics is a three-year graduate program that awards a certificate in Prosthodontics and a Master of Science Degree.

The first year is primarily devoted to didactic and clinical prosthodontics. The core didactic curriculum is emphasized to assist the resident in performing the clinical treatments required.

During the second year, emphasis is on clinical treatment. Time is increased in the clinic with minimal time spent in didactic effort. Residents complete a clinical rotation at MD Anderson Cancer Center and a teaching rotation at the Dental Branch. Research opportunities are available at the Bering Clinic.

The third year is committed to clinical treatment, specialty lectures, completing the Master of Science requirements, and specialty studies. A Master of Science degree may be earned in: Oral Biomaterials from the GSBS, or Prosthodontics from the Dental Branch.

Other rotations may include: UTDB Undergraduate Teaching and the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Upon satisfactory completion of the program, students receive a certificate in Prosthodontics and Master of Science degree from the GSBS or Dental Branch depending on the elected program. Non US graduates must complete a one-year preceptorship in Prosthodontics in order to apply for the residency. Information on the preceptorship is available from the office of Continuing Education http://www.db.uth.tmc.edu/cont-ed/index.htm