The curriculum in the graduate programs may include the following courses: fundamentals in basic and applied sciences, anatomy, biological chemistry, biomaterials, biostatistics, histology, microbiology, oral biology, pathology, pharmacology, physiology and special seminars. A thesis is required, and the total length of the program varies with the area of specialty. The minimum period of time is five or six academic semesters and three summer sessions, depending on the requirements of the particular specialty.

Generally, applicants for advanced education programs are considered on the basis of the following criteria:

• Completed Application
• Grade Point Average
• Class Standing
• Transcript/Pattern of Academic Achievement
• Graduate Record Examination
• National Board Scores
• Experience and Training
• Recommendations
• Specific Program Requirements
• Personal interview (when requested by the dept)

Other specific information may be requested by a program for consideration.

Graduate Record Examination
Educational Testing Service
P.O. Box 6000
Princeton, New Jersey 08541-6000
(609) 771-7670
http://www.gre.org

TOEFL Services
Educational Testing Services
P.O. Box 6151
Princeton, NJ 08541-6151
(609) 771-7500
http://www.ets.org/toefl/

Office of Student Financial Aid
The University of Texas
Health Science Center at Houston
P.O. Box 20036
Houston, Texas 77225
(713) 500-3860

Program Director: Raymond Simmons, DDS

Website address: http://www.db.uth.tmc.edu/gpr

The General Practice Residency Program is a one-year experience in hospital dentistry based in the university's affiliate hospital, Memorial Hermann Hospital. Currently, the program accepts eight (8) residents each year. Each resident spends approximately nine months at the University Dental Center at Hermann, a state-of-the-art facility which supports all clinical, educational, and research activities of the program. The remaining three months of the year are scheduled rotations in anesthesia, internal medicine and oral & maxillofacial surgery. Clinical and didactic instruction covers a wide range of disciplines, including clinical dentistry, emergency medical care, inpatient care & hospital organization, pain control and anesthesiology, oral surgery, oral pathology & radiology, practice management, research, special patient care, and temporomandibular disorders.

The overall objectives of the program are: (1) to provide advanced training in the general practice of dentistry at the postdoctoral level; (2) to provide clinical and hospital experience and community service in comprehensive and emergency oral care to a wide range of patients with regard to dental complexity, medically, physically and mentally compromising conditions, including age (geriatric and pediatric) and socioeconomic status (indigent and privileged); (3) to provide extensive clinical, didactic and hospital opportunities for interdisciplinary interaction between the resident and other health care providers; (4) to provide didactic information and clinical guidance in communicative, behavioral management and practice management skills and apply them to the practice of dentistry; and (5), to provide an appropriate environment for critical review and presentation of literature and the pursuit of individual research interests and career goals.

In addition, the individual resident can identify major areas of interest, such as specific clinical disciplines, teaching, or research. Upon satisfactory completion of the program, residents receive a certificate in general practice from the Dental Branch.

The program also offers positions in the optional second-year program to a finishing first-year resident. The second-year program is unique from the first-year, and includes advanced instruction and experience in conscious sedation, medical management, implantology, and an opportunity to teach students at the pre-doctoral level.

The Advanced Education Program in Endodontics offers an opportunity to earn both a certificate in Endodontics and a Master of Science degree following 3 years of full-time academic endeavor. The graduate program accepts two (2) students each year.

The clinical practice aspect of the program occupies approximately 50 percent of the time, affording a broad-based clinical experience in conventional and surgical endodontic treatment, often in coordination with residents in other dental specialty programs.

The remaining time is devoted to didactic study in both basic science and clinical science disciplines including biology of the dental pulp, endodontic surgery, review of the endodontic literature, and practice management, and research and thesis, with opportunities for clinical teaching also provided. Upon satisfactory completion of the program students receive a certificate in endodontics and a Master of Science degree from the Dental Branch. The program is designed to prepare participants for the American Board of Endodontics specialty examination.

Program Director: Mark E. K. Wong, BDS

Website address: http://omfs.hsc.uth.tmc.edu

Both a 4-year* and 6-year Advanced Education Program in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is offered*. Each program prepares practitioners to treat diseases, injuries, and defects involving both the functional and aesthetic aspects of the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region. The basic prerequisites for both 4 and 6-year programs are a DDS or DMD degree from an accredited dental school and National Dental Boards Parts I & II. Please see below for additional requirements for the integrated OMS/MD program.

Both 4 and 6-year residency programs are designed to integrate the fields of medicine and dentistry. The residency provides extensive surgical experience and exposure in areas such as oral and maxillofacial pathology, maxillofacial trauma, reconstruction, cleft palate, orthognathic, dentoalveolar surgery, implants, TMJ and aesthetic surgery as well as outpatient anesthesia.

In the 4-year program, residents spend the first year performing oral and maxillofacial surgery. In the second and third years, 12 months are spent on various off-service rotations such as medicine, anesthesia, neurosurgery, and general surgery. The final year consists of 12 months of oral and maxillofacial surgery at a Chief Resident level. Upon satisfactory completion of the 4-year program, residents receive a certificate in oral & maxillofacial surgery.

The 6-year program adopts a similar schedule to the 4-year program with the primary difference consisting of requirements for obtaining the MD degree. The first year is spent with the oral and maxillofacial surgery department. In the second, third, and fourth years, residents are enrolled in medical school, completing years two, three, and four of the medical school curriculum. During the fourth year of medical school, 8 months are provided for the fulfillment of requirements related to the oral and maxillofacial surgery residency such as rotations on the oral and maxillofacial surgery and anesthesia services. The fifth year of the residency is a surgical internship year which also includes a 5 month rotation in oral and maxillofacial surgery. In the sixth year, the resident serves as a chief resident with rotations to five different hospitals. Upon satisfactory completion of the 6-year program, residents receive a certificate in oral & maxillofacial surgery and a M.D. degree.

The 6-year OMS/MD candidate must meet the admissions requirements for the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. These include:

1. A minimum of 90 undergraduate credit hours at an accredited US or Canadian university or college.
2. 1 year of college english.
3. 2 years of college biology.
4. ½ year of college calculus.
5. 1 year of Physics.
6. 2 years of college chemistry comprising of 1 year of general chemistry and 1 year of organic chemistry.

Candidates from either the 4 or 6 year tracks may pursue either a MS (granted by the Dental Branch) or PhD (in conjunction with the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences). A GRE and additional courses or study may be required depending on the individual’s previous or anticipated academic experience. The additional degrees will likely extend the duration of the residency.

Program Director: Jeryl D. English, DDS, MS

The Advanced Education Program in Orthodontics is a 26-month graduate program leading to a certificate and optional Master of Science degree.

The Advanced Education Program in Pediatric Dentistry is a two-year postgraduate program leading to a certificate with optional Master of Science degree. The program currently accepts five (5) students per year.

The first year is concentrated in performing clinical dentistry at the pediatric dentistry clinic located in the Houston Medical Center Building. This is a new, state-of-the art clinic which opened September 1994. A didactic core curriculum is taught during the first six (6) months of the program at the University of Texas Dental Branch. Outside rotations during the first year include pediatric medicine and general anesthesia, each of one (1) month duration. Each first-year resident is teamed with a second-year resident for emergency coverage and general anesthesia cases at Hermann Hospital, the university affiliate hospital.

During the second year, residents spend additional time on outside rotations in Hemophilia Clinic, Cleft Palate Clinic and at the University of Texas Dental Branch Predoctoral Clinic and Richmond State School. When the second-year resident is not on an outside rotation, he/she participates in the outpatient pediatric dentistry clinic located in the Houston Medical Center Building.

Each resident also participates in Seminars to prepare for the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Board certification, case presentations, advanced topics in pediatric dentistry, which includes instruction in practice management and completion of a research project.

There is an option of continuing for a third year if one desires a Master of Science degree. Upon satisfactory completion of the program, students receive a certificate in pediatric dentistry and optional Master of Science degree from the Dental Branch.

Program Director: Robin L. Weltman, DDS, MS

The Advanced Education Program in Periodontics is a graduate program of three years (36 months) duration leading to a Master of Science degree and currently accepting four (4) students per year. The experience is structured as a comprehensive didactic and clinical program. Didactically each student receives a broad education in basic sciences, as well as in those areas pertaining specifically to periodontics. Seminar sessions reviewing all the classical and current literature dealing with periodontics, occlusion, and implants are given throughout the program. Courses in clinical research design and biostatistics are also required. The clinical experience expands throughout the three years. It includes all aspects of periodontal therapy and implants covering all the range of periodontal procedures and oral regenerative techniques. Students also become proficient in conscious sedation, and a rotation in general anesthesia is included. Special clinical rotations are part of the training to gain experience with special patient populations and integration with other specialties is promoted. The completion of a research project is mandatory as a requirement for the MS degree. Upon completion of the program students will be eligible to take the examination given by the American Board of Periodontology to achieve Diplomat Status. Upon satisfactory completion of the program students receive a certificate in periodontics and a Master of Science degree from the Dental Branch.

Program Director Robert L. Engelmeier, DMD, MS

The Advanced Education Program in Prosthodontics is a three-year graduate program that awards a certificate in Prosthodontics and a Master of Science Degree.

The first year is primarily devoted to didactic and clinical prosthodontics. The core didactic curriculum is emphasized to assist the resident in performing the clinical treatments required.

The third year is committed to clinical treatment, specialty lectures, completing the Master of Science requirements, and specialty studies. A Master of Science degree may be earned in: Oral Biomaterials from the GSBS, or Prosthodontics from the Dental Branch.

Program Director: Dr. S. Ray Taylor , Ph.D.

The oral biomaterials program is an individualized, two or three-year interdisciplinary program between the Dental Branch and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS). It is an option for the student who seeks a postgraduate certificate in prosthodontics and a M.S. degree with specialization in oral biomaterials. The goal of the program is to provide research training in oral biomaterials and opportunities for the student to prepare for a professional career in academics, a research institute or industry. The program curriculum is designed to educate the student in the areas of dental materials science, clinical and laboratory research methodology, and statistics. Opportunities exist for the student to elect courses in the biological sciences through the UTHSC-Houston GSBS and Dental Branch and engineering materials sciences through Rice University and the University of Houston. It is expected that the program be completed within 24 months. Program requirements include core and elective coursework and a research thesis. Research is conducted in the facilities of the University of Texas-Houston Biomaterials Research Center. Upon satisfactory completion of the program, students will receive a Master of Science degree from GSBS. The combined MS/Certificate program requires a minimum of 36 months.