PROGRAM GOALS & OBJECTIVES


•	The UTDB Graduate Prosthodontic Program is currently accredited by the American Dental Association and will continue to meet or exceed all American Dental Association standards and competency requirements for Advance Dental Education in Prosthodontics.
•	Program improvements are based on outcome assessment of all phases of resident training (i.e.) academic, clinical, research, and presentations. Outcomes are measured by: a. Written examinations in all phases of Prosthodontics (all residents must pass all examinations). b. Clinical Proficiency Examinations in Complete Denture Therapy, Tooth Preparation, and Occlusion (all residents must pass all clinical proficiency examinations). c. The American College of Prosthodontists current Mock Board Examination (all residents must answer at least 50% of the questions correctly). d. Faculty grading of all resident presentations. e. Each faculty evaluates each resident after the fall and spring semesters. f. Residents are evaluated by attending faculty during their rotations at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. g. Faculty evaluate resident participation in all literature review sessions
•	Priority is placed on recruiting candidates who have graduated from ADA accredited Dental Schools.
	All program applicants must provide the following with their application package: TOEFL, GRE, and their National Board Scores. Graduates from non ADA accredited schools must also complete this schools' one year preceptorship in Prosthodontics to apply for the Program. Completion of the Preceptorship does not guarantee admission to the Graduate Prosthodontic Program.
•	All residents participate in undergraduate student teaching (in Prosthodontics and Occlusion).
•	All residents meet all research deadlines.
•	All residents review the Glossary of Prosthodontic Terms and improve their use of terminology.
•	All residents are encouraged to challenge the American Board of Prosthodontics.
•	A state of the art clinic and resident laboratory will be specifically built for the Graduate Prosthodontic Program as part of the new Dental Branch Building now being planned.

RESEARCH PROJECT

All residents are required to complete a research project during this program. Residents are expected to defend their thesis and pursue a Master of Science degree in addition to a certificate in prosthodontics. Because of the limited time that the residents have to complete the program and the demands - both clinical and academic - placed on them throughout the time spent here, they must be very aggressive in pursuing a research project. Ideally, a topic should be selected by the end of January of the freshman year. The methods and materials should be approved by the end of the freshman year. The experimental and writing phases of the project are particularly demanding exercises and compete with other phases of the residency until the thesis defense is accomplished. If the experiment is also finished during the freshman year, the writing phase can be accomplished during the second year of the residency. Defense of the thesis must be accomplished by January of the senior year. The University of Texas does not fund these research projects. Residents must arrange for their research funding though grants or personal funds.

ROTATIONS AT OUTREACH PROGRAMS

Mentored rotations at several local outreach programs are available to qualified residents who are current in satisfying their program requirements as follows:

1. M.D. Anderson Cancer Center: Oncology and maxillofacial prosthetic patients. This is a full-time, two-month rotation for senior residents only.
2. Student teaching at The University of Texas Dental Branch: undergraduate dental school teaching opportunity in both pre-clinical and clinical prosthodontics for senior residents only.