The 12- or 24-month Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency program provides advanced education and clinical experience to prepare dental school graduates for a career in the practice of comprehensive general dentistry. Graduates of the AEGD program will have attained added competency and confidence in all areas of dental care, practice management and professional responsibility.
The AEGD program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at (312) 440-4653 or at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611.
Program goals and objectives
Upon completion of this program, the AEGD resident should be able to:
- Act as a primary care provider for individuals and groups of patients. This includes providing emergency and multidisciplinary comprehensive oral health care; providing patient-focused care that is coordinated by the general practitioner; directing health promotion and disease prevention activities; and using advanced dental treatment modalities.
- Plan and provide multidisciplinary oral health care for a wide variety of patients, including patients with special needs.
- Manage the delivery of oral health care by applying concepts of patient and practice management and quality improvement that are responsive to a dynamic health care environment.
- Function effectively and efficiently in multiple health care environments within interdisciplinary health care teams.
- Apply scientific principles to learning and oral health care. This includes using critical thinking, evidence or outcome-based clinical decision making and technology-based information retrieval systems.
- Utilize the values of professional ethics, lifelong learning, patient-centered care, adaptability and acceptance of cultural diversity in professional practice.
- Understand the oral health needs of communities and engage in community service.
Facilities and resources
The VCU School of Dentistry facilities are housed in the Perkinson, Dental Building 1 and Lyons buildings and contain clinical facilities, research facilities, classrooms, student laboratories, departmental offices and a computer learning laboratory. The laboratories and classrooms contain closed-circuit television receivers. The Health Sciences Library, the largest health science library in Virginia, is located across the street from the School of Dentistry.
Program information such as infection and biohazard policies, dental radiation policies and HIPAA privacy policies can be obtained by contacting the AEGD department.
Application
This program participates in the American Dental Education Association Postdoctoral Application Support Service program. The program deadline for application through PASS is September 1. Applicants are not required to take the Advanced Dental Admissions Test to apply.
Eligibility and selection
Dental graduates from U.S. institutions accredited by their respective Commissions on Dental Accreditation who have passed Part 1 of the National Dental Board Examination are eligible to apply for the AEGD program. Successful completion of Part II and eligibility for licensure in Virginia are required prior to admittance to the program.
* If graduates are instead challenging the Integrated National Dental Board Exam, part 1 is not required and successful completion of the INDBE is required prior to admittance.
Dental applicants trained outside the United States must be a graduate from an international dental school resulting in a degree/diploma in dentistry recognized by the appropriate civilian authorities of the country which the school is located. Information on how international trained dentists can apply is found here.
Selection criteria for all applicants include didactic and clinical achievements, extra-mural achievements, interpersonal skills and a demonstrated commitment to pursue a career in general dentistry.
Interviews
Interviews are by invitation only. Please note that not all applicants will be interviewed. Interviews are traditionally held in October. As a reminder, the deadline for all applications in PASS is September 1.
If an applicant has not received an invitation to interview by October, it can be assumed by the applicant that they will not be selected for that admission cycle.
Candidates selected for admission will be notified by Nov. 15. All applicants will receive notification of action taken by the admissions committee from the program director by Nov. 15.
Applicants meeting the requirements for admission, but not granted an interview, are encouraged to apply again the following year. Reapplication must be completed through PASS.
Residency stipends are subject to change annually.
Professional liability
The commonwealth of Virginia self-insurance program provides professional liability (malpractice) coverage, subject to policy limits, for advanced dental education students. Coverage includes professional service on duty within the institution and professional service on assigned duties in one of the affiliated hospitals or programs. It does not cover any other professional service, e.g. moonlighting activities at other facilities or institutions.
Tuition and fees
There are no AEGD tuition and fees. Information on AEGD stipends is found here.