Endodontics Postgraduate Education

The overall mission of the Advanced Education Program in Endodontics is to train specialists in the knowledge, skills and practice of Endodontics, and consists of four major components: didactic, clinical, research and teaching.

1. Select well-qualified applicants who are interested in Advanced Education in Endodontics.
2. Train postdoctoral students to become highly skilled and biologically oriented diagnosticians and clinicians who will practice, teach and/or carry out research in the areas related to disease and therapy of the dental pulp and periapicular tissues, and the associated areas of oral disease.
3. Recruit board certified or board eligible faculty members who have a strong interest or established track record in research to enrich the scope of the program.

Applications for the Advanced Education Program in Endodontics are accepted via ADEA PASS. 

Applicants seeking admission to the Advanced Education Program in Endodontics at Rutgers School of Dental Medicine must meet the following minimum requirements:

• DDS/DMD degree from a CODA Accredited United States or Canadian Dental School or an international Dental School that provides equivalent curriculum content and clinical experience.
• NBDE/INDBE Requirement for DDS/DMD Candidates: It is understood that applicants currently enrolled in a CODA-accredited DDS/DMD program may not have attempted the INDBE exam at the time of application and are therefore exempt from this application requirement. Applicants who are not currently enrolled in a CODA-accredited DDS/DMD program are required to have passed either INDBE or NBDE Part I & Part II at the time of application. All candidates must pass the INDBE or NBDE Parts I and II before they can matriculate into the Advanced Education Program.
• Applicants with dental degrees from non-CODA schools must demonstrate English reading, writing, and speaking proficiency and a minimum score of 100 on the TOFEL examination.
• Minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (4.0 scale) or equivalent, or a cumulative ranking in the top 50% of the applicant’s dental school graduating class.
• Interview with the Program Director.
• Three letters of recommendation, one of which should be from an endodontic faculty member or endodontist familiar with your previous clinical and /or didactic endodontic accomplishments.
• ADAT exam transcript required
• ADEA PASS application
• Supplemental Application Fee

The deadline for submission of applications is July 1 for the class that matriculates the following summer. Interviews are limited in number and granted on a rolling basis. Specific questions with regard to the admission requirements or any other aspect of the Postgraduate Program in Endodontics at RSDM should be addressed to the Program Director.

The program does not offer a part-time residency. All residents pay tuition according to the rules and regulations of the Advanced Dental Education Programs of Rutgers School of Dental Medicine.

Correspondence regarding application and admission procedures should be directed to:
Ms. Inez Rouse-Pearson
rousepin@sdm.rutgers.edu

Specific questions with regard to the admission requirements or any other aspect of the Postgraduate Program in Endodontics at RSDM should be addressed to the Program Director:

Paul A. Falcon, DMD, MS
973-972-1928
falconpa@sdm.rutgers.edu

The CORE Curriculum is designed to provide a broad foundation in the Biomedical Sciences upon which training in specialized dental disciplines is based. The PGY1 CORE course is Foundations of Oral Biology, which consists of the following modules:

• Professional Ethics
• Research Design and Data Analysis
• Microbiology and Immunology
• Gross Anatomy
• Histology and Pathobiology

The PGY2 CORE course is Advanced Biomedical Science in Dentistry, which consists of the following modules:

• Orofacial Pain
• Oral Medicine & Pathology
• Advanced Dental Therapeutics and Pharmacology
• Embryology and Genetics
• Behavioral and Social Science in Dentistry

These courses are taught in an interdisciplinary format to residents in RSDM’s Advanced Specialty Education programs in Endodontics, Orofacial Pain, Pediatric Dentistry, Periodontics, and Prosthodontics, as well as students in RSDM’s Masters programs. This didactic instruction occurs in a weekly two-hour seminar.

Twenty-three percent of the program is allocated to didactic instruction, including:

• Biology of the Dental Pulp
• Biological Aspects of Endodontics
• Inflammation and Wound Healing
• Selected Topics in Endodontics
• Current Literature Review in Endodontology
• Textbook Reviews

Faculty members from other institutions as well as private practioners are invited to the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine as guest lecturers.

Sixty percent of the program is devoted to clinical instruction, which includes Advanced Clinical Endodontics, Surgical Endodontics, Operating Room Endodontics, Emergency Endodontic Clinical Procedures and Clinical Case Review Seminar. Residents are taught the most advanced treatment techniques in both conventional and surgical Endodontics.

Several interdisciplinary learning opportunities and seminars covering topics of mutual interest are incorporated into the curriculum, including radiology, orofacial pain, implantology, prosthodontics, periodontics, and pediatrics.

Research comprises ten percent of the program. All residents must complete a research project and prepare a manuscript suitable for publication to meet the graduation requirement. Research opportunities are available at the dental school.

Teaching comprises seven percent of the program. Residents teach in the predoctoral endodontic laboratory course and in the predoctoral endodontic clinics.