Dental Student Rotations
Freshmen (1.5 day)
Roy Cisneros Elementary School (half day) in the Edgewood Independent School District as part of a required course in School-Based Preventive Dentistry. The Freshman dental students teach oral hygiene instruction and nutritional counseling to 2nd and 3rd graders. This is a component of INTD 5030.
Head Start Centers in San Antonio (one day) to participate in a fluoride varnish program as one of the INTD 5030 rotations.
Sophomores (3 days)
Ricardo Salinas Clinic (Pediatric Dentistry) (half day) as part of a required course in Sophomore Clinic.
Roy Cisneros Elementary School (half day) in the Edgewood Independent School District as part of a required course in School-Based Preventive Dentistry. The sophomore dental students provide sealants for the children who have parental consent to participate.
San Antonio Metropolitan Health District Sealant Program (SAMHD) (two days) at various elementary schools throughout San Antonio as part of School-Based Preventive Dentistry. Sealants are provided to children at elementary school locations affiliated with the city of San Antonio Metro Health Program.
Juniors (11.5 days)
Ricardo Salinas Clinic (one and a half days) as part of a required course in Pediatric Dentistry.
Affiliated Clinics in South Texas - (two weeks) Junior dental students rotate during the summer period for a minimum of 2 weeks. Housing is provided. This is a required clinical selective program.
Seniors (27.5 days)
University Hospital - oral surgery training (5 days). Students rotate to the hospital during this required rotation that is conducted by the Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery.
Ricardo Salinas Clinic (3.5 days) - pediatric dentistry training. This program is conducted by the Department of Developmental Dentistry and is a required rotation in the curriculum.
Laredo Health Department (4.5 days) for pediatric dentistry training. This program takes place at the Laredo Health Department, located in Laredo, Texas. It is conducted by the Department of Developmental Dentistry and is a required rotation in the curriculum.
San Antonio Christian Dental Clinic (4.5 days) located at the Haven for Hope Homeless facility in downtown San Antonio to provide primary dental care services for special needs patients including the homeless and underserved patients served by the site. This clinical rotation is a component of GEND 8077.
South Texas Rotation - (two weeks) Senior dental students rotate to one of four clinic systems in South Texas for a minimum of 2 weeks as part of GEND 8077. Students provide primary dental care services under the supervision of adjunct faculty at the sites (Harlingen, Laredo or San Antonio).
Besides the above-mentioned required rotations, there are numerous other Elective opportunities for dental students to participate in outreach activities as follows:
Heroes for the Homeless Selective (SELC # 8221) - for senior dental students. During the academic year, senior dental students have the option to rotate to the SAM Ministries shelter for interdisciplinary health professional training (Wednesday evenings in conjunction with dental hygiene, medical students and family practice residents) to provide primary dental care services for special needs patients including the homeless and underserved patients served by the site. They also have the option to provide outreach dental screenings to the homeless at Haven for Hope.
Mission Dental Care Selective (SELC # 8035) - The Christian Medical-Dental Association (CMDA) sponsors weekend Mission trips (6-8) to the US/Mexican border region during the academic year. Students (8-12/trip) at all levels sign up for this program. Students travel to churches, community centers, or schools located in communities on the US side of the border (Del Rio, Eagle Pass, or Laredo) to provide basic primary, preventive, and emergency dental care under the supervision of dental school faculty, including adjunct faculty members.
Community Clinical Selective (SELC # 7011/8032) Each summer, the Dental School (through the South Texas Border Initiative) offers an elective outreach program (2 weeks) which assigns students in teams (DS I’s, II’s, & III’s) to affiliated clinics in South Texas (Brownsville, Harlingen, Raymondville, Laredo, Eagle Pass and Del Rio). Dental students provide dental care to patients under the supervision of adjunct faculty at the designated affiliated clinic sites. Housing is provided by AHEC.
Preventive Dentistry Selective (SELC # 7120) - for rising sophomore dental students. During the summer, dental students rotate to Mercy Ministries of Laredo or to the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) School of Medicine, to participate in a preventive dentistry outreach selective which requires the students to work in the colonias of Laredo/Webb County, and various other colonias located in the Upper, Mid, and Lower Rio Grande Valley Regions of South Texas. Students work with other organizations, health professionals, medical students, and colonia residents to develop educational programs focusing on preventing dental disease and raising the level of awareness of the importance of oral health to general health. Housing is provided by AHEC.
Community Service Selective (SELC # 7088) – established several years ago when dental students submitted a proposal to the Curriculum Committee to create a vehicle by which students could interact with the local community by participating in such projects as Habitat for Humanity (building homes for the poor), United Way’s Days of Caring/Sharing, Christmas Under the Bridge (for the homeless); Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner and the HEB Christmas Dinner (feeding the poor); KLRN TV (phone bank for public television); Big Brother/Big Sister program – working w/ youth; etc. Students also volunteer at Morgan’s Wonderland to assist at this theme park for children with special needs, and at the Children’s Shelter, where they assist with programs for children who are away from their families.
Community Service Program –established in conjunction with Edgewood Independent School District (EISD) and sponsored by Methodist Healthcare Ministries. Thru this program 2nd graders (> 700) receive preventive dental care services at the UT Health San Antonio School of Dentistry (2 half days in February each year).
National Programs
Junior dental students are also encouraged to apply for the COSTEP or the Indian Health Service Externship program conducted by the U.S. Public Health Service. Students selected through this program are assigned to dental clinics on Indian reservations for a period of 2-4 weeks. The dental students provide dental care to Native American populations under the supervision of IHS Dental Commissioned Corps Officers and are exposed to the Public Health Service mission. (SELC # 7010).
University Sponsored Externships
Every year, UT Health San Antonio Dental students (6-8) participate in externships offered by other Universities (Oral surgery, etc.). OMS also accepts students from other Universities.
International Programs
The UT Health San Antonio School of Dentistry participates in a Japanese Exchange Program (SELC # 7190) in conjunction with 2 Japanese Dental Schools. Through this program, 5 Japanese dental students and 1 faculty member from each of the 2 schools visit UT Health San Antonio School of Dentistry for a week (August) each year; subsequently, 10 UT Health San Antonio dental students/2 faculty members visit each of the 2 Japanese dental schools for a week in March each year.