How many clinical hours/patient cases will I have? The number of hours per week the residents in Periodontics spend in clinic varies by program year. In general, second- and third-year residents spend 3.5 to 4.0 days in clinic, while first-year residents spend 2.5 to 3.5 days per week in clinic, depending on the time of year.
Where do I receive my clinical education? Almost all of the clinic education takes place at UT Dentistry’s Center for Oral Health Care & Research. Residents also do a three-day rotation in a community health center in Laredo about four times per year during the second and third residency years.
How many operatories are in the clinic where I will work? Each resident is assigned an operatory in the clinic. There are 14 periodontics resident operatories. In addition, there are four surgical suites in regular use by residents and two additional suites that can be used, should patient load require it.
What types of procedures will students be expected to perform to complete the residency? Residents will perform all procedures outlined in the Accreditation Standards of the Commission on Dental Accreditation for Advanced Education in Periodontics.
However, our residency goes well beyond the requirements for accreditation. All aspects of clinical periodontics are taught in the residency program, including surgical and nonsurgical treatment of inflammatory diseases of the periodontal and peri-implant tissues; dental implant surgical therapy; pre-prosthetic surgery; tooth extraction and site preparation for dental implants; mucogingival and esthetic surgical therapy.
We have a major focus on interdisciplinary treatment with general dentists and other specialties. Conscious sedation also is emphasized in our program.
Will students be assigned to a team? While residents are not assigned to teams, they work very closely with one another and with residents in other specialty programs, such as prosthodontics, endodontics and orthodontics.
Who supervises and teaches? You will be working with a team of faculty members.
Who are my patients? Patients are members of the San Antonio community.
What else should I know? The mission of the Graduate Periodontics Program is to produce the best clinical periodontists in the nation, clinicians who will provide the highest quality care to their patients, who will support their families and communities, who will add to the body of knowledge in periodontology, and who will give back to the profession of dentistry throughout their careers.
The primary objectives of the program include learning all facets of periodontics and dental implant therapy, gaining comprehensive knowledge of the evidence, performing research which adds substantially to the evidence base, and teaching other health professionals in various aspects of the specialty. A major goal of the residency is to prepare each student to successfully challenge the qualifying and oral certification examination of The American Board of Periodontology, becoming Diplomates of the Board.