Dental General Practice Residency

Our residency program participates in the American Dental Education Association's Postdoctoral Application Support Service (PASS).

The PASS application deadline is September 8, 2023.

Application requirements:

• Apply through Postdoctoral Application Support Service (PASS).
• Will graduate from an ADA accredited dental school prior to the July 1st entry date.
• Must be eligible for a U.S. state dental license at the time of entry into the residency program
• Be a U.S. citizen.

Please do not send any supplemental material(s) to the program. The program residency director will contact you if any further materials are needed.

Include 3 Professional Evaluation Forms in your PASS application. Each PEF must be submitted by members of the clinical faculty at your dental school. We prefer the faculty be from different disciplines of dentistry (i.e. restorative - this includes operative, removable, implant dentistry and crown & bridge), endodontics, periodontics, and/or oral surgery.

Applicants are granted an interview based on academic achievement, your personal essay, and Professional Evaluations (PEF). If your application is considered, you will be contacted for an interview. Selected applicants will be invited to interview in mid to late November.

MATCH PROGRAM
Our General Practice Residency program does NOT participate in the Postdoctoral Dental Matching Program administered by National Matching Services.

Matriculation Requirements:

• Graduate of a dental school (earned a DDS or DMD) accredited by the American Dental Association.
• Must have passed Part I and Part II of the National Dental Board Examination OR the INDBE.
• Must be eligible for a state dental license in the United States.

In order to optimize the visit experience for prospective applicants, program visits will be limited to March-May on a first come, first serve basis.

This General Practice Residency program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation and has been granted the accreditation status of Approval. The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the American Dental Association and the United States Department of Education.

This residency provides the training that Dentists need to treat patients with medical, physical or psychiatric disabilities. The residency offers advanced comprehensive clinical dentistry. The residency begins on July 1st and ends the following year on June 30th. The program consists of advanced clinical dentistry including treatment planning, preventative, periodontal, operative, fixed and removable prosthodontics, endodontics, restoration of implants and general oral surgery procedures. Didactic courses include physical examination, treatment planning, oral pathology, endodontics, prosthodontics (removable, fixed and implant dentistry), periodontics, oral surgery, practice management, and oral facial pain. The residents conduct literature reviews and case discussions throughout the year.

The dental attendings and consultants are available at all times. We have 5 FT general dentists, 3 FT prosthodontists, 1 FT oral surgeon, and 1 FT oral pathologist. During the residency program, each resident will be assigned to a mentor (an attending) for the year. We also have 2 FT lab technicians on staff.

Salary is $59,400 per year.
Health benefits and life insurance are available.
Malpractice liability coverage is provided for you.

The clinic offers a wide range of supplies and the latest techniques in dentistry. Assistants are assigned to residents throughout the year to provide experience in four-handed dentistry. There is an extensive, part-time to full-time staff in all the dental specialties which allow residents to tackle new and difficult treatment procedures such as implant placement/restoration, full-mouth rehabilitation, dealing with medically compromised patients, diagnosis, and continuation of simple to complex cases in all dental disciplines.

The residency program is divided into one week in Periodontics, eight weeks in Oral Diagnosis/Emergency Care, two weeks in Medicine (primary care), two weeks in Anesthesiology, five weeks in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and three days at the Oral Facial Pain clinic at the Naval Postgraduate Dental School, National Naval Medical Center. The balance of the twelve-month program is spent in the General Practice Clinic where the residents provide comprehensive care - Restorative (including implant dentistry), Preventive, Periodontics, Endodontics, Fixed and Removable Prosthodontics, and Oral Diagnosis.

While on the Anesthesiology rotation, the residents learn the indications and contraindications for use of general anesthesia; learn to evaluate a patient's ability to undergo general or regional anesthesia; learn to start and maintain IVs, monitor vital signs, and maintain an airway; gain a greater understanding of pharmacology and physiology; and acquire an understanding of the general methodology of general anesthesia and the implications of the use of general anesthesia. The residents actively participate in all phases of anesthesia.

The General Practice Residents are assigned to Medicine after successfully completing a physical evaluation course. The residents gain experience using the techniques of physical evaluation; gain experience recognizing the presence of selected organic disease, which may affect the management of oral and dental problems; gain awareness of the influence of systemic disease on oral health; and observe the diagnosis and management of systemic disease.

The Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery rotation consists of evaluation and treatment of patients in the outpatient clinic; participating in the admission, management, and discharge of inpatients and patients scheduled for IV sedation; and accompanying the OMFS staff and residents to the Operating Room. Through this experience the residents develop increased ability in simple exodontia, surgical extractions, biopsy, minor pre-prosthetic surgery, treatment of pain and infection, management of dentoalveolar trauma, and operating room protocols and procedures.

The Oral Facial Rotation is one week and completed at the Oral Facial Pain Clinic at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. The residents will be exposed to patients dealing with chronic oral facial pain. The following objectives will be achieved at the completion of the rotation: 1) recognize the nine key elements of basic pain history; 2) demonstrate how to use a multi-axial physical examination; formulate a set of differential diagnoses for pain complaints; 3) demonstrate the ability to formulate a multi-axial pain management plan; 4) recognize the characteristics of odontogenic versus odontogenic pain; 5) describe the steps of performing an auriculotemporal nerve block.

Some of the academics/courses will be obtained through distance learning. Distance learning means education that uses one or more of the technologies listed below to deliver instruction to residents who are separated from the instructor. The technologies may include:

1. the internet;
2. two-way transmission through video teleconferencing (V-Tel); and/or
3. audio conferencing.

Processes are in place to protect student privacy. Students will be notified of any projected additional charges associated with the verification of student identity at the time of registration or enrollment.

The General Practice Residency in Dentistry at the VA Medical Center, Washington, DC consists of seminars and clinical assignments to various disciplines of dentistry and medicine. The purpose of the residency program is to expand your knowledge of oral and systemic relationships in health and disease states, to broaden your clinical experience, and to develop your proficiency in providing dental care for ambulatory and hospitalized patients.

The program's objectives are intended to enable you to:

1. Function as a member of a multi-disciplinary health team required in providing dental care for outpatients and inpatients, and be able to communicate with other health professionals.
2. Evaluate, treatment plan, and manage patients with medical, physical, and psychiatric conditions.
3. Control pain and anxiety in the conscious patient through the use of behavior management, oral sedation, and nitrous oxide analgesia.
4. Understand the use and interrelationships of the pharmacologic agents commonly used in medical and dental practice.
5. Demonstrate improved clinical ability and judgment in Operative Dentistry, Preventive Dentistry, Fixed and Removable Prosthodontics, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Periodontics, Endodontics, Oral Pathology, and treatment planning for comprehensive patient care.
6. Evaluate and treat the majority of dental emergencies.
7. Manage medical emergencies that may arise in the dental office.
8. Demonstrate proficiency in patient evaluation, including taking a medical history, examination of the head and neck, and interpretation of laboratory test results, and correlating those findings with the dental treatment plan and dental treatment.
9. Demonstrate operating room protocol, procedures, and documentation.
10. Critically evaluate professional literature.
11. Demonstrate community service skills through the treatment of our nation's homeless veterans

Andrea Goldin, DMD
Director, General Practice Residency
Washington, DC VA Medical Center
Andrea.Goldin@va.gov

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
This agency is an equal opportunity employer. Actions to fill the residency positions will not be based on discriminating factors, which are prohibited by law. Applicants are assured of equal consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual preference, national origin, politics, physical or mental disability, marital status, age, membership in an employee organization, or any other non-merit reason.