Program Philosophy
The Advanced Education in General Dentistry ‑ 2 Year Program is a comprehensive educational experience providing training in all disciplines of dentistry. It is predominately a clinically oriented program, but includes a significant didactic component.

The clinical phase of the program consists of training in all of the dental specialties. It is designed to emphasize comprehensive dentistry concepts of total patient care and continuity of treatment. The resident will gain knowledge and experience in examination, diagnosis and treatment planning of patients with multidisciplinary dental treatment needs and contributory medical histories. The resident is expected to provide for all of the patient's dental treatment needs within his limitations and coordinate referral to appropriate specialists for those specific dental treatment needs that are beyond his capability.

Patient screening, selection and assignment are directed toward providing the resident with patients requiring a broad range of dental treatment. Isolated, independent rotations have therefore been avoided whenever possible. The more interdependent specialties such as oral surgery, periodontics and endodontics have been scheduled into integrated days of training. This type of scheduling is intended to encourage and assist the resident in the practice of comprehensive care for as many patients as possible. Residents have the flexibility to schedule patients to maintain continuity of treatment for patients and continuity of experience for the resident.

Clinical experience in all disciplines of dentistry has been scheduled during the entire two year program in order to give the resident the opportunity to start and finish multiple comprehensive cases and to integrate interceptive and limited orthodontic cases with other specialty areas such as prosthodontics,periodontics and pediatric dentistry.

The didactic component is an important aspect of the program. It includes a review of the basic sciences as they relate to each of the specialties of dentistry. The curriculum provides the resident with a broad academic background from which sound clinical judgements are made regarding diagnosis, treatment planning and the selection of the most appropriate treatment. The didactic component is scheduled throughout the training year and includes lectures, seminars, literature reviews, treatment planning, medically compromised, implant and other patient care conferences, and special projects. The special projects involve writing an original research paper, resident lectures, and table clinics.

*Accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation which is a special accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at (312) 440-4653 or at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611-2678.*