Program Overview

Master of Dental Surgery in Periodontology

Introduction

The Master of Dental Surgery in Periodontology [MDS (PERIO)] is a full-time, three-year Master Program with Advanced Clinical Training in Periodontology. The program is offered to certified dentists, with a minimum of two years of clinical experience, who seek to improve their competence in theoretical knowledge and clinical skills in Periodontology.

Program Objectives

The Program Goals are to enable students to:

• Make appropriate clinical decisions based on contemporary knowledge in periodontology, implantology, and relevant areas.
• Acquire advanced clinical skills and investigation techniques at a level of competency for safe practice.
• Participate in multidisciplinary team work for effective patient care.
• Develop and adopt high values in decision making, with contemporary evidence-based protocols.
• Practice the highest level of ethics and professionalism.

Program Structure & Requirements

The program begins with basic medical sciences and relevant dental sciences courses that help build a core knowledge that enables the trainee to proceed for further periodontal education and training. Multidisciplinary team work and quality patient-care outcome in a safe environment remain as the main philosophy of training. The program has an overall 70% clinical component and 30% research component, in the form of a short investigation leading to a thesis.

Academic Courses and Study Plan

The program includes a variety of courses, such as:

• Introduction to Basic Sciences in Dentistry
• Research Methodology I and II
• Periodontal Literature I to VI
• Prostho-Perio Treatment Planning I to IV
• Perio Laboratory I to V
• Perio Clinic I to VI
• Research Project I to IV
• Multidisciplinary Treatment Planning I and II

Course Description

Each course provides in-depth knowledge and skills in specific areas of periodontology, including:

• Introduction to Basic Sciences in Dentistry: Covers growth and development, human anatomy and physiology, biochemistry, and genetics.
• Research Methodology I and II: Introduces research language, ethics, and approaches, including biostatistics.
• Periodontal Literature I to VI: Covers recent classification of periodontal diseases, etiology, pathogenesis, clinical signs and symptoms, and diagnosis making.
• Prostho-Perio Treatment Planning I to IV: Focuses on treatment planning, including history taking, examination, consultation, and diagnosis.
• Perio Laboratory I to V: Provides training in non-surgical periodontal treatment, radiological techniques, and surgical instruments.
• Perio Clinic I to VI: Offers clinical periodontal treatment procedures, including diagnostic procedures, non-surgical periodontal treatment, and surgical periodontal procedures.
• Research Project I to IV: Guides students in searching for a research topic, identifying a supervisor, and performing a literature survey.

Special Admission Requirements

1. A BDS degree from University of Sharjah or an equivalent qualification, with a GPA of 3.0 or above.
2. A minimum of one-year post-qualification work experience.
3. English Language requirements: A minimum of 550 on paper-based TOEFL or 6.0 on IELTS or its equivalence.
4. Applicants must attend an interview session and may be required to sit for a written and/or practical test.

Research Project

The academic courses in Research Methodology I and II prepare the trainees for their research project work. Trainees are encouraged to embark on a research project early in their program and are guided throughout the research activities. The research project enables students to adopt an inquisitive mind and continue practicing evidence-based medicine. Trainees must submit a thesis and publish a scientific paper related to their project.

Contact Hours

The learning contact hours are spent during the five routine academic days from Sunday to Thursday.

College Support

The College of Dental Medicine supports trainees in its three multidisciplinary research clusters:

• Dental Biomaterials and Biomimetics Research Group
• Wound Healing and Oral Diagnostic Research Group
• Oral Biofilm in Health and Disease

Program Total

The program total is 65 credit hours, with 320 lecture hours, 1171 laboratory hours, 1920 clinical hours, 60 research hours, and 3471 total hours.