Advance Education in General Dentistry

Advanced Education in General Dentistry | Graduate

The Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) residency program at the Howard University College of Dentistry (HUCD) is a one-year certificate-granting course of study and development which offers the newly or recently graduated dentist an opportunity to expand the capability to provide high-quality comprehensive clinical care to a diverse population.  The foundations of ethics, professionalism, compassion, and evidence-based practice are woven throughout our didactic and clinical activities.  Our program is accredited (most recent – 2017) by the American Dental Association (ADA) Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).

The backbone of this program is exposing learners to a variety of meaningful clinical experiences, guided by engaged clinical faculty supervision and supported by daily coaching, assessment, and feedback.  The program director is a graduate of a two-year AEGD residency program and is a diplomate of the American Board of General Dentistry, and our residents benefit from consistent endodontic, periodontic, and prosthodontic specialty faculty support during our in-house clinical sessions.  We employ modern modalities such as the axiUm electronic health record and MiPACS digital radiography, and complement conventional clinical techniques with rotary endodontics, intraoral laser, digital intraoral impressions, cone beam computerized tomography (CBCT), and computer-assisted design/manufacturing (CAD-CAM) technology. 

Most clinical services are provided within our AEGD clinical space; additional rotation sites include the Howard University Hospital (oral & maxillofacial surgery, anesthesia) and a local community-based general dentistry clinic for low-income clientele.  We aim to enhance knowledge and clinical competency across the spectrum of comprehensive dentistry, with the central philosophy of patient-centered, problem-based, phased treatment planning; the ability to thoroughly assess patients and then generate and execute predictable individualized plans is an expectation for successful matriculation.   

The didactic curriculum includes biologic, diagnostic, and clinical sciences in both classroom and seminar formats, and case-based learning and application of principles to the clinical arena emphasized via various patient care conferences, literature reviews, resident-run topic vignettes, “grand case” treatment plan presentations, and collaboration with resident peers in the HUCD Pediatric Dentistry, Orthodontic, and General Practice Residency programs.   

Program Goals:

Consistent with the ADA CODA Accreditation Standards for Advanced Education Programs in General Dentistry, our program goals are to enable our graduates to:

  • Act as a primary care provider for individuals and groups of patients; this includes:
    • Providing emergency and multidisciplinary comprehensive oral health care
    • Providing patient-focused care that is coordinated by the general practitioner
    • Directing health promotion and disease prevention activities
  • Plan and provide multidisciplinary oral health care for a variety of patients, including patients with special needs
  • Manage the delivery of oral health care by applying concepts of patient and practice management and quality improvement that are responsive to a dynamic health care environment
  • Function effectively and efficiently in multiple health care environments within interdisciplinary health care teams
  • Utilize the values of professional ethics, lifelong learning, patient-centered care, adaptability, and acceptance of cultural diversity in professional practice.
  • Understand the oral health needs of communities and engage in community service

 

Application Requirements:

  • Complete an online application via the  American Dental Education Association Postdoctoral Application Support Service (ADEA PASS) at www.adea.org.  Deadline for completion is September 1 for class beginning in July.  The PASS application is the only application required for this program.  
  • Register with the National Matching Service Postdoctoral Dental Matching Program at www.natmatch.com/dentres

Program Details

  • Degree Classification: Graduate
  • Program Frequency: Full-Time
  • Format: In Person

Admission Requirements

  • Graduate of an American Dental Association-accredited dental school (graduates of other institutions, including international dental schools, will be considered on a case-by-case basis)
  • Must have passed the National Dental Boards
  • Cumulative dental school grade Point Average (GPA) 3.0 or higher, or equivalent as determined by Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. if international graduate (GPA less than 3.0 will be considered on a case-by-case basis)
  • Proficient in the English language, demonstrated by Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores in the “High” range for the Reading and Listening categories and “Good” for Speaking and Writing, if English is not the applicant’s primary language.

Caution to Prospective Students

The Board of Trustees of Howard University on September 24, 1983, adopted the following policy statement regarding applications for admission: "Applicants seeking admission to Howard University are required to submit accurate and complete credentials and accurate and complete information requested by the University. Applicants who fail to do so shall be denied admission. Enrolled students who as applicants failed to submit accurate and complete credentials or accurate and complete information on their application for admission shall be subject to dismissal when the same is made known, regardless of classification."