Periodontic/Orthodontic Residency

Program Overview

Program Director: Dr. Robert L. Vanarsdall
Applicants to this joint program must be accepted by both the Periodontic and Orthodontic admissions committees. It features two tracks:

The Clinical Track (Duration of program: 4 years)
In this track, the first year provides a comprehensive background in periodontics through extensive literature reviews, seminars, and clinical practice. Selected periodontal case are continued into the second year, which focuses on formal training in orthodontics, orthodontic preclinical laboratories, and the beginning of clinical training in several multi-band techniques. The third and fourth years consists primarily of orthodontic seminars, clinical practice of periodontics and orthodontics, and evaluation of post-treatment periodontal cases. Third- and fourth-year students also do limited teaching.

Graduates in this program are fully certified and board eligible in both periodontics and orthodontics. The four-year track will develop skilled clinicians who will be able to practice and teach in a clinical setting.

The Academic Track (Duration of program: 4 years)
The four-year program is designed to prepare students for full-time academia as highly-trained clinicians in periodontics, orthodontics, and dental educators. This program is planned in cooperation with a research preceptor and leads to a Master of Science in Oral Biology. The four years are planned and balanced by the Departments of Periodontics and Orthodontics and the research preceptor, so students can undertake clinical research while also being competently trained as a clinician.

Students will also have courses in the School of Education and have teaching responsibilities.