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Chair: Ying Gu, DDS, PhD
The Department of General Dentistry teaches the primary care aspect of dentistry, which includes the knowledge and skills to comprehensively diagnose, treat and manage a patient’s overall oral health needs. It encompasses the predoctoral divisions of Behavioral Sciences and Practice Management, Operative Dentistry and Dental Materials, and Dentistry for Patients with Special Needs (Special Needs Dental Care). The department also offers a comprehensive General Practice Residency (GPR) program as well as the Special Needs Dental Care Fellowship Program.
Department of General Dentistry Pre-Doctoral Program
The Division of Operative Dentistry and Dental Materials educates students in the restorative principles and techniques of dentistry, beginning in year one. The course Dental Morphology and Occlusion, provides foundational knowledge, providing the building blocks for education in Cariology, Operative Dentistry, and Dental Materials. During the first-year, students engage in pre-clinical courses, which incorporate a digital curriculum (CAD/CAM dentistry). Students become competent in operating a digital scanner and CAD/CAM software, and to self-evaluate the quality of their wax-ups, preparations and restorations. Introduction to clinical patient care also begins in year 1 with students performing initial evaluative procedures such as medical and dental histories, and head and neck exams for patients in the Dental Care Center. In year 2, students advance to more complex procedures, providing preventive and restorative treatments for their patients. During the third and fourth years, having established familiarity with patient management in the clinical environment, students progress to more complex treatment modalities including prosthetics and implant dentistry, developing expertise necessary for the practice of dentistry. The third year students provide patient care supervised by general dentists and specialists. Fourth year students provide patient care in a format similar to private practice under the guidance of general practitioners with specialists available when the complexity of the case warrants.
Housed within the Division of Behavioral Sciences and Practice Management, is the Patient, the Foundation, Community and Health Care Systems and Practice Development. The Patient develops and builds upon the students’ foundation for clinical diagnosis
and treatment planning skills, and explores doctor/patient communication strategies with interactive exercises and simulated clinical experiences.
Ethical dilemmas are explored in the Foundations of Professional Development whereby students engage in interactive lectures and panel
discussions, exploring factors impacting the patient-doctor relationship and ethical decision making. Community epidemiology of oral
disease. The Practice Development conveys the business of dentistry, including health care systems, of establishing a dental office
and the legal and regulatory concepts related to providing oral health care.
Dentistry for Patients with Special Needs educates our students in the management of patients with complex medical needs and disabilities. Within this division, year 4 students receive comprehensive instruction on the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of individuals with developmental disabilities and geriatric patients with complex medical needs. Students practice in small groups, maximizing student/teacher interaction.
Department of General Dentistry Programs
The programs in the Department of General Dentistry are the General Practice Residency Program (GPR) and the Special Needs Dental Care (SNDC) Fellowship Program. The GPR program provides an in-depth experience in the treatment of advanced oral health needs, including prosthetics and implant dentistry. The SNDC program provides an in-depth experience in the treatment and management of adult patients with developmental disabilities, providing patient care in both an ambulatory and hospital setting.
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