Didactic Programs

Many programs assure all residents basic academic information. Attending staff in dentistry and medicine bring years of academic and clinical experience to the lecture halls. Lectures in oral pathology, anesthesia, basic science, anatomy and trauma are given over the course of the program. Residents may attend conferences at local dental societies, regional professional meetings, and neighboring hospitals offering special programs. The lecture series is enhanced by presentations in infectious disease, risk management, quality assurance, and quality improvement by SVCMC professionals.

The department feels that the didactic program is one of the strengths of the residencies.

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Residency

This program allows residents an intense clinical exposure to all aspects of oral and maxillofacial surgery, supported by a dedicated attending staff and structured didactic program.

The residency is based at St. Mary's Hospital Brooklyn, one of SVCMC's acute-care facilities. This site offers an active outpatient experience, coupled with a strong ambulatory anesthesia program. The resident participates in orthognathic surgery, preprosthetic surgery, implant surgery, pathologic surgery, reconstructive surgery, TMJ surgery, and an unlimited amount of trauma surgery.

Mary Immaculate Hospital's emergency department is a designated Level I Trauma Center where residents treat and admit all aspects of facial trauma. Fractures of the mandible, maxillae (Le Forte I, II, III), zygoma, floor of orbit, and nasal bones are all treated by the oral and maxillofacial surgery service.

During the first and second years, there are rotations in surgery, anesthesia and medicine as required by the Council on Education of the American Dental Association. There are also four months of elective rotations in the third and fourth years.

The integration of the clinical and didactic programs provides a complete educational experience. As the clinical experience progresses over the four years, the resident's skills are developed from the basic to the most advanced procedures. This prepares the resident to practice the full scope of the profession in any setting.

Lectures by attendings and guests are the core of the didactic program. Journal Club and weekly grand rounds complete this portion of the program. Each resident is required to prepare a case presentation or a research paper on approved subjects for publication.

The program accepts one resident in each academic year beginning July 1. The applicant must demonstrate a strong academic background with grades in both the undergraduate and graduate level supporting this achievement. National board scores, strong letters of recommendation, and personal statements all play a role in the request for an interview.

The program's outcome objective is for the resident to become board certified and practice the full scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery. The program has accreditation without reporting requirements by the ADA, and all graduating residents are board eligible.

General Practice Residencies

The purpose of this program is to correlate and integrate the diverse knowledge acquired in dental school. Residents attain a high degree of competence in the art and science of dentistry and develop confidence in applying this knowledge. They also learn the importance of teaching situations and continuing education and the value of hospital dentistry to the patient.

The service has seven clinical sites, with St. Mary's Hospital being the base clinical experience. Residents are involved at this site for a major part of their training. It is at this hospital that rotations in oral and maxillofacial surgery, anesthesia, and the operating room take place. Rotations in physical diagnosis, medicine, geriatric medicine, infectious disease, pathology, and the emergency department are based at Mary Immaculate Hospital.

The clinical portion of the program is strengthened by a weekly didactic program that includes lectures, Journal Club, conferences, and case presentations. Residents in both the one-year and two-year general practice programs are required to present case studies for publication.

The clinical program will also expose the resident to pediatric dentistry, geriatric dentistry, conscious sedation, dentistry for the disabled, and the medically compromised patient.

The basic science lectures are in pathology, anesthesia, and anatomy. The didactic lectures encompass the full scope of general dentistry. Basic Life Support and Advanced
Life Support training courses are available. The dedicated attending staff of generalists and specialists plays a major part in these lectures.