Periodontics Program

Program Strengths

• Strong didactic and clinical foundation in periodontics with emphasis on nonsurgical and surgical treatments including implantology
• Demographically diverse patient population
• Large patient population
• Modern clinical facilities
• Close professional relationship with the medical staff
• Extensive training in the use of pharmacological/nonpharmacological modalities of treatments
• Training with specialists in all disciplines of dentistry, including but not limited to orthodontics, endodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, pediatric dentistry, dental anesthesia and special patient care

Program Type

This is a hospital-based training program – successful completion of all requirements awards a resident their Certificate in Periodontics and meets the advanced education eligibility requirements of the American Board of Periodontics.

Program Description

Three residents will begin matriculation July 1, 2012. The primary site for residents is located at the LMC-LICH hospital in Brooklyn Heights. Didactic lectures will take place here, and treatments rendered at this location include consultations and all surgeries. The secondary site is located at the Sunset Park Family Health Center in Brooklyn. One resident will rotate through this site at a designated time throughout the year. Treatments rendered at this location include consultations and all surgeries. Additional sites include Brooklyn Chinese Family Health Center, Caribbean-American Health Center, Park Ridge Family Health Center, and Park Slope Family Health Center, all within Brooklyn. One resident will rotate through these sites at a designated time throughout the year. Treatments rendered at these locations include consultations and teaching colleagues in the General Practice Residency and Advanced Education in General Dentistry.

Program Length

The program is 36 months in length, commencing July 1st of each year.

Number of Positions

Three PGY1 resident positions are offered each year.

Application

The application deadline is August 1st of the year preceding matriculation. The program participates in PASS. Application materials may be obtained from PASS.

Curriculum

The curriculum plan has been designed to meet the Accreditation Standards for Advanced Specialty in Periodontics and to prepare the graduate for the American Board of Periodontics. First year residents participate in the core curriculum with Pediatric, Endodontic, GPR, AEGD, and Dental Anesthesia residents. The core curriculum includes advanced courses in biomedical sciences such as head and neck anatomy, inflammation and immunology, microbiology, craniofacial development, research design, general anesthesia and sedation, oral biology and histology, oral radiography, oral medicine, clinical pharmacology, and special care. In addition, the first year residents will attend specific courses to the clinical sciences of periodontics, including principles of periodontics, advanced clinical periodontics I and II, classic and current literature review, clinical case conference, and implantology. During the second year, the clinical and biomedical courses are more focused on expanding the teachings of the first year. The clinical science courses will further emphasize all periodontal surgeries, including implantology, practice management, and pedagogy. The third year’s courses consist entirely of classic and current literature review, clinical case conference, and implantology. These courses will strictly focus on board preparation. The residents will also participate in teaching the first and second year periodontal residents as well as the AEGD and GPR residents. Clinical rotations to enhance the didactic curriculum include: anesthesia, orofacial pain, and temporomandibular disorders.
There are multidisciplinary seminars with PGD residents as well as specialty-focused seminars.

The periodontics program requires residents to design and complete an original research project over a two-year period. The resident will present a poster at the annual Lutheran Medical Center Research Fair. The program also requires residents submit a research paper to a periodontal journal by the end of the second year.

During the last few months of the training, the residents will visit a number of private periodontic dental offices to gain experience in practice management and practice administration. Furthermore, successful graduates will achieve enough hours in oral conscious sedation to apply for an oral sedation permit to the New York Department of Education, the oversight body for professional licensure in the state.

Competency and Proficiency Statements

Download the Periodontics Competency and Proficiency Statement

Program Stipend and Tuition

PGY1, PGY2 and PGY3 stipends are $25,000 plus fringe benefits. Fringe benefits include medical and dental insurance, prescription plan, $150 for books for PGY1, $1,000 for PGY2 and $1,000 for PGY3 for course registration, nine holidays, four weeks paid vacation, four educational days and paid sick days (accrued at 1 day per month) for a total of 12 days per year. Flexible spending accounts and a 403B plan are also available.

Admission Requirements

• DDS or DMD from an ADA-accredited American or Canadian dental school
• Must be eligible for temporary licensure in the state of New York
• All candidates must be proficient in the English language
• Dental and pre-professional education transcripts
• Three letters of recommendation
• PASS application
• Recent 2×2 photograph
• Personal interview

Program Goals

• To provide the knowledge and skills to diagnose all forms and severities of periodontal disease and practice periodontics proficiently
• To prepare for board eligibility and to succeed in the certification process of the American Board of Periodontics
• To provide the resident with the understanding of the technological basis of dentistry in general with specific emphasis on the specialty of periodontics
• To establish a sound biological basis for the clinical practice of periodontics
• To provide the resident with the knowledge and skills to make independent decisions based on a thorough understanding of the total health care needs of the patient
• To provide the resident with an understanding of evidence-based research in order to appreciate and evaluate published clinical and scientific literature and apply it to clinical practice
• To instill a commitment to community service, to be aware of the needs of the underserved and vulnerable populations and be willing to provide specialty consultation and to provide services for these groups during the course of their career
• To prepare graduates to be mentors for the advanced education in general dentistry residents within the periodontic discipline
• To foster a philosophy of lifelong learning and a sense of responsibility to contribute to the periodontic specialty by mentoring and teaching