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Course Objectives 

Upon completion of this program the resident will: 

 

Medical/Patient Management: 

  • Recognize the risk for medical problems through medical history and clinical examination and take appropriate preventive actions.
  • Initiate appropriate medical consultation or referral to clarify any question(s) related to the patient’s systemic health.
  • Obtain a complete and accurate patient history from patients or their legal representatives.
  • Use local anesthesia techniques in clinical procedures for control of pain and anxiety.
  • Have increased knowledge in oral diagnosis, oral pathology, oral radiology, and oral medicine.
  • Become familiar with common types of medical emergencies encountered in the dental setting.
  • Have increased knowledge on medically complex cases and special needs patient management.

 

 Treatment Planning: 

  • Discuss findings, diagnosis, prognosis, risks and benefits, phasing and sequencing of treatment, time requirements, estimated fees and payment responsibilities of each treatment option with the patient, parent or legal guardian.
  • Obtain written informed consent for all presented treatment plans, optimum or alternative(s), and all dental procedures accepted or denied by the patient prior to the delivery of dental treatment.
  • Be able to treatment plan cases more advanced than those found in the undergraduate curriculum and properly assess treatment outcomes.
  • Be competent in utilizing appropriate methods for the assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning, and application of digital technologies for the dental rehabilitation of resident’s patient pools.

 

 Preventative/Restorative Dentistry: 

  • Use the evidence-based dentistry approach to integrate the resident’s clinical expertise, the patients’ needs and preferences, and the most current, clinically relevant evidence to aid in the decision-making process for patient care.
  • Use caries management by risk assessment (CAMBRA) as a standard of care to identify the cause of caries through individual patient risk assessment. Then, managing those risk factors through preventative therapeutic management, patient behavioral changes and minimally invasive care.
  • Plan for appropriate caries recall schedule based on each patient’s caries risk.
  • Utilize caries prevention strategies including fluoride application, tooth brushing, flossing, nutrition counseling and early caries detection.
  • Educate patients and/or caregivers concerning patients’ risk factors and risk reduction strategies needed to prevent oral disease, as well as provide patients with instruction on individualized self-care methods and dietary counseling to maximize oral health.
  • Understand the role of and determine when to restore carious dental lesions versus applying minimally invasive techniques and perform conservative, biomechanically sound tooth preparations.
  • Select, manipulate, and place restorative materials to establish anatomical form, function and esthetics.

 

Periodontology: 

  • Be knowledgeable and experienced in the diagnosis and treatment of periodontal diseases.
  • Diagnose and determine the need for non-surgical and surgical periodontal treatment and perform these treatments under supervision.
  • Understand the periodontal-restorative interface including diagnosis of supracrestal tissue attachment violation and incorporate functional and/or esthetic crown lengthening procedures.
  • Understand the indications for various surgical interventions in the treatment of periodontal disease; perform and/or observe localized periodontal surgery (e.g., flap for debridement, gingivectomy).
  • Evaluate the results of periodontal therapy and establish/monitor a periodontal maintenance program. 

 

 Endodontics: 

  • Perform thorough endodontic evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment planning, properly employing various clinical and radiographic diagnostic modalities and using current AAE diagnostic terminology.
  • Perform non-surgical root canal therapy on anterior, premolar, and molar teeth.
  • Perform vital pulp therapy procedures including direct/indirect pulp capping, pulpotomy and pulpectomy, and understand the indications/contraindications and techniques for vital pulp therapy.
  • Be familiar with surgical endodontic procedures such as apicoectomies, salvage endodontics, and intentional reimplantation. 

 

Prosthodontics: 

  • Understand the role of occlusion in providing prosthodontic care, including occlusal assessment, the proper use of various articulators, selection of occlusal schemes, diagnostic wax-ups and static and functional occlusal records.
  • Diagnose and manage occlusal disorders / abnormalities.
  • Apply digital technologies to assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning.
  • Assess, diagnose, treatment plan, and deliver digitally scanned and designed fixed and removable prostheses for dentate, partially edentulous, and completely edentulous patients.
  • Perform appropriate tooth preparations for digitally and/or conventionally designed prostheses.
  • Select appropriate restorative materials for digitally and/or conventionally designed and fabricated fixed and removable prostheses.
  • Perform the procedures using the proper sequence of steps needed to fabricate an acceptable prosthesis.

 

Pediatric Dentistry: 

  • Have advanced knowledge and skills in treating pediatric dental patients.
  • Plan for appropriate periodicity schedule based on each child’s caries risk.

 

Implantology: 

  • Apply the surgical and restorative procedures of endosseous oral implantology.
  • Diagnose and determine the need for implant placement and analyze and interpret CBCT.
  • Design, plan, and select appropriate implant size for placement.
  • Fabricate and print proper surgical guide.
  • Restore implants using different techniques based on implant types, locations, and type of restorations.

Oral Surgery:

  • Perform a thorough pre-operative assessment including appropriate consultations, medical risk assessment, pre-medication, and incorporating various modifications to treatment, as necessary.
  • Understand the indications, contraindications, and procedures for surgical extraction of erupted, partially, and fully impacted third molars.
  • Become confident in routine and complicated extractions, and familiar with osseous recontouring, biopsy and treatment aspects of trauma.
  • Perform post-surgical follow-up including diagnosis and treatment of post-operative complications.
  • Become familiar with basic suturing indications, materials, and techniques.  

 

 

Oral Medicine/TMD: 

  • Recognize the presence and/or oral manifestations of systemic diseases and how these conditions and their treatments may affect the delivery of dental care.
  • Develop an understanding of the evaluation, diagnosis, treatment planning and management of patients who present with temporomandibular disorders and orofacial pain.
  • Fabricate and maintain an occlusal splint.
  • Describe features that support the differential diagnosis for an oral lesion, defect or deformity based on clinical history, physical findings, and radiographic images.

Practice Management: 

  • Be familiar with practice management procedures, patient appointment control, and the basic business skills of the everyday operation necessary to run a solo or small group dental practice.
  • Be able to direct and work with dental auxiliary personnel in a comprehensive preventive dentistry program.
  • Understand principles of professional ethics, jurisprudence, and risk management.

 

Dental Materials: 

  • Maintain levels of expertise in the rapidly changing area of dental materials.
  • Learn limitations, advantages and disadvantages of each dental biomaterial used in patient care.
  • Be competent in the directions for use and clinical protocols for all chosen materials.

 

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