The General Practice Residency (GPR) Program at 鶹AV is a one-year, CODA-accredited postdoctoral certificate program designed to deliver comprehensive clinical and didactic training in advanced dentistry. Operating within state-of-the-art facilities that simulate a private group practice, residents gain extensive hands-on experience in complex treatment planning, implant dentistry, rotary endodontics, and IV sedation. The curriculum emphasizes the care of medically compromised, geriatric, and phobic patients, and is enhanced by core clinical rotations in anesthesiology, pedodontics, and emergency medicine.
Jump to: Program Overview Admission Requirements Certificate Program Goals & Objectives Tuition & Benefits Curriculum Selection Process
Dentists who graduated from American Dental Association (ADA) Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) accredited Dental Colleges/Schools are eligible for admission to the Advanced Education in General Dentistry Residency Program.
We only consider candidates who are U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents.
Applications for the Advanced Education Program are received through the PASS program. Application materials are reviewed and candidates with the highest qualifications are selected for an interview. Applicants born outside the United States and whose native language is not English must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language, the Internet-based version of TOEFL (iBT TOEFL). Minimum scores are 100, and 26 in the speaking component. No candidates are admitted to the program without a personal interview. Non-discriminatory policies are followed in selecting the applicants.
See the for more information.
TOEFL Waiver
A TOEFL waiver may be available for applicants who have graduated from a U.S.-accredited institution with a doctoral degree.
Applicants who meet this requirement and wish to request a TOEFL waiver must contact the Office of Advanced Education for consideration.
Applicants who have not graduated from a U.S.-accredited institution with a doctoral degree are required to submit TOEFL scores that meet the program’s stated requirements. Minimum overall scores need to be at least a 5.
Please contact the Office of Advanced Education if you have questions regarding TOEFL waiver eligibility.
The General Practice Residency Program at the 鶹AV is a one year program fulfilling the requirements for advanced training in general practice as outlined by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association leading to a certificate. The program is designed to provide clinical and didactic experience at the postdoctoral level in all areas of dentistry with an emphasis on treatment planning complex cases, treating medically complex patients, and training in advanced techniques such as rotary endodontics, implants, and IV sedation.
Residents receive an advanced program of didactic and clinical training in implant, fixed, and removable prosthodontics with the support of highly trained laboratory technicians; instruction in the management of medically compromised patients, geriatric patients, phobic patients, and didactic and clinical experience in the implementation of IV sedation techniques.
The majority of time is spent providing comprehensive patient care in state of the art operatories staffed by dental assistants and clerks simulating a small group dental practice.
The year of training includes clinical rotations in emergency medicine, pedodontics and anesthesiology.
This General Practice Residency program is designed to provide training beyond the level of dental student education in oral health care, using applied basic and behavioral sciences. Education in this program is based on the concept that oral health is an integral and interactive part of total health. This program is designed to expand the scope and depth of the graduates’ knowledge and skills to enable them to provide comprehensive oral health care to a wide range of population groups.
The goals of this program include preparation of the graduate to:
Tuition:
There is no tuition associated with the Certificate Program in general dentistry. If the resident is enrolled in the Master of Science in Oral Biology degree program, he/she must pay tuition for courses taken through the College of Graduate Studies. References should be made to the current 鶹AV Catalog for specific information regarding Graduate School tuition and fees.
Stipends:
Last year the general practice residents received an annual stipend of approximately $49,000. This stipend is provided by Wellstar MCG, and is subject to change each year based on availability of funds. 鶹AV, Georgia is a beautiful city with a low cost of living. This makes it ideal for residency training from a financial standpoint.
Equipment:
Supplies and equipment associated with the clinical program are provided by the institution. Residents must provide their own high quality digital camera for intra-oral photography.
Benefits:
The Dental College of Georgia provides malpractice insurance coverage for residents while providing patient care at Wellstar MCGl. This insurance does not cover any outside dental practice. Residents are eligible for health care insurance if they pay a monthly co-premium. Residents may be eligible for other 鶹AV benefits if they so elect.
Leave:
Residents are entitled to 鶹AV employee holidays, though assignments for emergency coverage must be maintained. Residents may be entitled to up to 12 days annual leave, 10 days of professional leave, 5 days of educational leave, at the discretion of the Program Director. 12 days of medical leave are also granted to residents as outlined in the .
The Facilities:
The General Practice Program has its residents’ offices, clinics dedicated to the program, and laboratory facilities in the Dental College of Georgia. Clinical training also occurs in Wellstar MCG. Wellstar MCG is a tertiary care hospital that serves the needs of patients throughout the state. The hospital has an inpatient operating room and a modern Ambulatory Procedure Center for general anesthesia cases. The Emergency Department of the hospital has a fully equipped treatment room for dental procedures. Five full time dental assistants are assigned to assist the residents in the clinic.
The General Practice Residency Program includes didactic training and advanced clinical experience in diagnostic sciences, endodontics, implant dentistry, oral surgery, pediatric dentistry, periodontics, preventive dentistry, prosthodontics (fixed and removable), restorative dentistry and special needs dentistry. The majority of the resident’s time is devoted to advanced clinical training in ambulatory care settings. Patient care is also provided under general anesthesia in the Operating Room and Ambulatory Procedure Center. Additional hospital experience is gained through rotations in Anesthesia, Emergency Medicine, Pediatric Dentistry and by participation in rounds and consultative services with various medical disciplines. Major emphasis is given to training related to the care of medically compromised patients.
Following submission of a completed application and the required supporting materials, candidates files are reviewed by the Resident Selection Committee. This committee consists of the Program Director and at least two other faculty members who provide clinical support for the GPR. Only graduates of a dental school which is accredited by the American Dental Association are considered. The following guidelines are used to select those individuals to be invited for an interview.
Candidates who are ultimately considered for the GPR are required to participate in a personal interview. Following the interview process, members of the GPR Resident Selection Committee independently rank the applicants. Should there be gross discrepancies in the rankings, the committee further discusses the applicants. The rankings and deliberations provide the basis for a consensus opinion of the committee. The Program Director will make the selections and the selected candidates will be notified by the posted decision date listed in the chart at the top of this page.