Program Overview

Introduction to the 1-Year Advanced Education in General Dentistry Residency

The East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine offers a 1-year Advanced Education in General Dentistry Residency that integrates didactic education and clinical experience at a level beyond that of the pre-doctoral educational program. The Program is designed to broaden Resident's professional knowledge and clinical skills to the point that they can provide comprehensive oral healthcare for patients with complex Dental needs, independently, and in a geographic location that may lack the direct support of other Dental Specialists.

Program Overview

The Program is designed to increase the Resident's ability to coordinate with other healthcare professionals, both Medical and Dental, and with a view to enhancing Resident's ability to provide oral healthcare for patients with special needs. The program is also designed to promote the ideals of Community Service, and reinforce the need for ongoing and lifelong Continuing Professional Dental Education.

Accreditation

The East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine 1-year Advanced Education in General Dentistry Residency is fully accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation.

Curriculum

At the heart of the 1-year AEGD Residency is the innovative educational model at the East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine (SoDM). Residents learn and gain Clinical Experience while delivering Comprehensive Care in the Advanced Care Clinic at Ross Hall at the SoDM in Greenville (five Residents), or at one of the SoDM's eight Community Service Learning Centers (CSLCs), which are located across the state (two Residents at each CSLC) in:

• Ahoskie (Hertford County)
• Elizabeth City (Pasquotank County)
• Lillington (Harnett County)
• Sylva (Jackson County)
• Spruce Pine (Mitchell County)
• Davidson County
• Robeson County
• Brunswick County

The ECU SoDM AEGD-1 Didactic Program

The program includes:

• Orientation is conducted over two weeks at the ECU SoDM in Greenville, North Carolina. Residents complete on-boarding administration, and participate in didactic seminars and hands-on simulation training in Oral Surgery (surgical placement of implants), Periodontics (hard and soft tissue grafting), Endodontics (including calibration of the surgical microscope), Pediatric Dentistry, Dental Photography, Management of Medical Emergencies, Infection Control, Radiation Safety, and Practice Management.
• Seminars, Literature Review, Clinical Case Conferences, and study in Oral Medicine Topics are conducted throughout the Residency, during three hours of scheduled seminars per week. Seminars are conducted in: Comprehensive General Dentistry and Treatment Planning for Complex Cases; Diagnosis and Medical Risk Assessment; Advanced Periodontics, Endodontics, Oral Surgery, Oral Pathology, and Removable and Fixed Prosthodontics; Esthetic Dentistry; Dental Implants (Surgical Placement, and Restoration); Control of Pain and Anxiety; Diagnosis of and Management of Oral Disease and Infections; Orofacial Pain; Care for Special Needs Patients; Management and Business Principles of Dental Practice; and Professional Ethics and Leadership.
• Special Lectures and Continuing Professional Dental Education: Each Resident is allocated up to $1,000 (and 3 days leave) to attend Continuing Dental Education.

Accreditation and Program Objectives

The Program is fully accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation for Advanced Education Programs in General Dentistry, and meets all established educational and training standards. The Program will prepare you to:

• Deliver a full range of comprehensive and emergent oral healthcare as the primary provider within a dynamic health care team and environment.
• Develop and use critical and evidence-based thinking skills in your clinical decision-making; and apply scientific principles to learning and oral health care.
• Plan, provide, and coordinate and manage the interdisciplinary oral health care needs for a wide variety of patients, including those with special medical, physical, and mental needs.
• Provide patient care in culturally diverse, and historically underserved and un-served areas of North Carolina in a Community-Service Learning setting.
• Develop and incorporate leadership and practice management strategies, as well as quality improvement into your practice, so that you can successfully operate a General Dentistry practice.

The Educational Objectives of the Program

The program objectives include:

1. Obtain and interpret a patient's Chief Complaint (and history of that Complaint), medical history, dental history, family history, and cultural and social history.
2. Conduct a medical Review of Systems, identify a patient's medical needs, and assess the medical risks associated with the provision of any required dental treatment.
3. Make appropriate referrals to other healthcare providers for consultation and/or treatment of physiological, psychological, and/or social problems, and apply appropriate medical risk-reduction practices.
4. Obtain appropriate and indicated diagnostic information, including conducting radiographic and clinical examinations, and adapt techniques as required for each patient (i.e. special needs patients).
5. Incorporate historical, laboratory, radiographic and clinical findings into a Problem List, and determine a Diagnosis (including the diagnoses of oral manifestations of systemic diseases).
6. Develop a Comprehensive, Multi-disciplinary, Sequenced Treatment Plan for patients with complex dental needs (and special needs), in a manner that considers and integrates each patients' unique circumstances.

Salary and Benefits

• Salary: Residents are paid a salary of $66,840.
• Vacation/Holiday: Residents receive twelve days of paid vacation in addition to nine holidays annually.
• Medical Plan: Group plans for hospital and health insurance for the Residents and dependents are available at group rates and are effective upon employment. A variety of plans are available.
• Professional Liability Insurance: Residents are provided a total of $6,000,000 in malpractice coverage free of charge.

Other benefits such as Long-Term Disability Insurance, Life Insurance, and Flexible Benefits are also available.

Application Process

To apply for the Residency, applications must be submitted through the American Dental Education Associations' Postdoctoral Application Support System (also known as PASS). PASS is opened to accept applications as early as July of the year prior to starting the Residency. Applications for Residency positions are reviewed as soon as they are received and complete, thus it is advantageous to initiate and complete your application early.

All PASS applications are reviewed by the Program Director, and interviews are offered based upon academic standing, letters of recommendation, and personal statement.

Eligibility Requirements

By the time a candidate begins the Residency Program, they must have graduated with a Doctor of Dental Surgery or Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from a CODA-accredited Dental School, they must be either a United States or Canadian citizen (or a lawful permanent resident of the United States), and they must either License to practice in North Carolina, or receive an Intern Permit, from the North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners.