Dental Public Health Residency

The New York State Dental Public Health Residency Program (Advanced Certificate) at the Eastman Institute for Oral Health is an intensive postdoctoral dental training program offering two tracks to meet candidates’ needs: one-year full-time or two-years part-time. One-year full-time residents may elect an optional second year to serve as the program’s chief resident.

The residency program includes didactic instruction, acquisition of research skills, and field experiences. Residency Training is completed under the supervision of faculty in the Department of Community Dentistry. Field Experience include exposure to the Community Dentistry Outreach Clinics at the UR Medicine Eastman Dental School #17 Clinic, located at 158 Orchard Street in Rochester, New York and the SMILEmobiles that predominantly treat underserved populations and school-aged children from Rochester and the surrounding areas; additional experiences at the Community Dentistry Sealant Program and School-based Fluoride Varnish Program.

Program Goal

The aim of the Dental Public Health Residency program is to provide dentists with the necessary educational preparation to: 1) practice dental public health; 2) obtain direct experiences in the core content area of Dental Public Health- administration, research methods, oral health promotion, disease prevention and oral health service delivery system. 3) design, conduct and lead dental public health and population-based research projects. 4) become eligible to take and pass the American Board of Dental Public Health and to achieve diplomate status.

Outcomes

At the conclusion of the residency programs, the resident will:

Be prepared to plan, implement and operate dental public health programs

Be skilled in the methods of scientific inquiry and research, emphasizing oral health epidemiology and population-based efforts to prevent oral diseases and promote oral health

Have a solid understanding of the process through which health policies are developed and regulated

Have the technical skills necessary to assume leadership roles in the dental public health field

Accreditation

The Commission on Dental Accreditation has granted the accreditation status of “approval without reporting requirements” to the Dental Public Health Residency program at the Eastman Institute for Oral Health. The program is administered by an experienced program director, Dr. Sangeeta Gajendra, faculty members and an experienced administrative team.

Stipend

A stipend and resident benefits is available to dentists who earned their dental degree (DDS or DMD) from a dental school located in either the United States or Canada that is accredited by the American Dental Association (ADA) Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). Foreign-trained dentists who have successfully completed a CODA accredited two-year Advanced Education in General Dentistry training program in the United States are also eligible to receive a stipend.

Commission Requirements

A solid record of scholastic achievement that would indicate success in the dental public health residency program.

A DDS or DMD degree from an accredited dental school, according to the standards of the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). The Eastman Institute for Oral Health encourages applications from both domestic and foreign applicants. International applicants must be able to verify that their training is equivalent to an ADA accredited school by using World Education Services for an evaluation of their education.

A Master of Public Health Degree from a US or Canadian School of Public Health, accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).

How to Apply

• Completed PASS application.
• Personal Statement discussing educational goals and career objectives
• Three letters of recommendation.
• Official undergraduate transcripts, where applicable.
• Official dental school transcripts. Successful applicants must have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better on a 4-point scale.
• Official graduate school transcripts. Successful applicants must have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better on a 4-point scale.
• WES ICAP evaluation for transcripts issued by institutions outside the U.S. and Canada
• Copy of Dental School Degree, Copy of MPH Degree
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), with a score of 85 or higher, as applicable (School code: 9487)
• A current Curriculum Vitae.
• International dental graduates must also submit: (a) TOEFL scores* (b) a letter of financial support and (c) an evaluation of all transcripts by the World Education Service (WES).
• Pay a non-refundable application fee of $195.

Deadline to Apply

Foreign-trained Dentists: January 1

U.S. and Canadian-trained Dentists: January 1

For More Information

Sangeeta Gajendra, DDS, MPH, MS
Professor, Clinical Chief
DPH Residency Program Director
Dept. of Community Dentistry
Eastman Institute for Oral Health
625 Elmwood Avenue
Rochester, NY 14620
Tel: (585) 273-4763
Email: sangeeta_gajendra@urmc.rochester.edu