Orthodontics Postgraduate Program

The mission of Advanced Education Program in Orthodontics is to train dentists in the specialty of orthodontics in accordance with the guidelines set forth by the American Dental Association and the American Association of Orthodontists.  It is our mission to prepare and qualify our students to sit for the American Board of Orthodontists certifying examination. 

1. To educate residents in the biomedical and supporting clinical sciences necessary to properly diagnose, treatment plan and then treat patients of all ages who present with diverse types of malocclusions.
2. To train residents in the use of a wide range of state-of-the-art fixed and removable appliances and techniques, including treatment with orthopedic forces.
3. To train residents to treat patients with congenital defects [cleft palate and craniofacial problems (including patients with craniofacial syndromes)] and those that are medically and/or dentally compromised that require a multidisciplinary approach to treatment, as well as patients requiring orthognathic surgery.
4. To train residents in research methodology and design, to think critically, are required to write a research paper, and are encouraged to do clinical research projects whenever possible.

All applications are submitted online through Postdoctoral Application Support Service or PASS. This is a centralized application service, which has been designed by the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) for individuals applying to postdoctoral dental education programs. PASS provides participating postdoctoral programs uniform standardized information, eliminating the need for multiple applications. You only submit one application to PASS. Postdoctoral dental programs benefit by receiving uniform information on all candidates. PASS charges a separate application fee in addition to the $95.00 non-refundable application fee charged by the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine. The PASS deadline for all materials is on or about September 1st or 15th of the year prior to the start of the cycle.

Applicants will also need to register with the National Matching Program and provide the Match Number in your PASS application.

In order to be considered, you must hold a DDS/DMD degree (or foreign equivalent) before the start of the program and satisfy all required materials indicated in the PASS online application. ALL applicants are required to submit their Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score. No applications will be considered without the GRE score.

Foreign trained dental students or dentists are invited to apply. Your TOEFL score, official transcripts and course-by-course evaluation by WES or ECE are to be sent directly to PASS. Original/Official documents will be requested upon admission to the program for further verification. Foreign trained dental students or dentists are also required to submit a GRE score. National Board Dental Exam (NBDE) or Integrated National Board Dental Examination (INBDE) are not required for international students. Canadian students are not required to submit a TOEFL score.

EXTERNSHIP

Dental students and dentists who are interested in visiting our program, attend lectures/seminars and observe in the clinic should contact the department of Continuing Dental Education. The visits may be scheduled for a period of one day only. Visitors may not participate in direct clinical patient care.

For additional information on Externships, please visit the Department of Continuing Dental Education.

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.

This program strives to educate residents using evidence-based data and research, and to utilize and apply this information in treatment provided to patients. In addition, courses on functional appliances and orthodontic re-analysis utilize evidence-based data to assess treatment outcomes. This information is applied clinically by faculty and residents during treatment planning and when providing treatment to patients.

Residents attend conjoined seminars in Periodontics, Prosthodontics, and Oral Surgery, which provide exposure to the more complex patients being treated outside of the department. Many such patients are treated by residents in conjunction with other departments utilizing an inter-disciplinary approach.

Each student must develop an original research project in conjunction with a mentor and a thesis review committee. Writing of a thesis based on such research and a formal thesis defense is required as a partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Certificate in Orthodontics.

Residents are required to make oral presentation of their research to the department as follows:

• First year - Review of literature, hypothesis and design, and preliminary methods and materials
• Second year – Summary of literature review, definitive methods and materials, and preliminary data and statistical analysis
• Third year – thesis defense

YEAR 1, 2 and 3 courses:
Research Methodology
Practice Teaching