Electives
Predoctoral Electives – Special Topics Courses
Third- and fourth-year dental students are provided the opportunity to register for elective courses which cover a wide range of topics. Electives are offered during the fall and spring terms. Courses are held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:00-7:00 p.m. (see course descriptions below for session details). Each elective course consists of an 8-hour commitment for 0.50 credits or a 15-hour commitment for 1.00 credit. Please read the course descriptions below which include the time commitment and number of credits.
Policies & Eligibility
Third-year dental students may register for no more than one (1) elective per term. This limitation is inclusive of the third-year Research with Mentor course (ODSC 599).
Fourth-year dental students may register for no more than two (2) electives per term, which is exclusive of any clerkship course or the Research with Mentor course (ODSC 599).
Any student wishing to enroll in an elective course must be in good academic standing.
Grading
All elective courses are graded as pass/fail. Instructors may assign exercises and assessments at their discretion; however, at minimum, attendance is required at all course meetings dates in order to achieve a passing grade. Please see course descriptions for additional grading criteria.
Students who do not request to have an elective course dropped from their schedule prior to the first meeting date will receive a “W” on their transcript to indicate withdrawal from the course.
Upon successful completion of the elective course(s), credit will be given under the special topics course, DNTS 548, and it will appear on your official transcript.
Registration
When choosing your elective(s), please carefully check your schedule to ensure you are available to attend all sessions, and for D4 students also make certain that multiple elective courses do not have overlapping session dates.
Please use this link to register for the electives: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/H2GMSHG
If you have any questions, please email Mrs. Ellen Seed at eseed@umaryland.edu
OFFERINGS FOR SPRING 2026
Aesthetic Dentistry, an Inter-Disciplinary Approach
Instructor: Dr. David Mazza
Credits: 0.5
Course capacity: 40
Dates: Wednesday, 1/7, 1/21, 2/4 from 5-7 pm and 2/18 from 6-7 pm. A hands-on lab session will take place in Lab C from 5-6 pm. All lectures will take place in G310.
Course Description: Lectures on:
- Anatomy of an esthetic smile
- How to personalize smiles
- Tooth whitening protocol
- Gingival esthetic principles
- Diastemas closure, achieving natural looking results
- Composite laminate veneers
- Porcelain laminate veneers
- Principles of color in dentistry, shade selection and matching protocol
- Troubleshooting common problems with esthetic dentistry
- Reviewing several clinical cases and walking the students through actual cases from start to finish
- One hour “hands-on” instruction
Grading Requirements: Attendance to all sessions of the elective and completion of the handout after every session.
Overview of Clinical Anesthesia and Sedation
Instructor: Dr. Gregory Winter
Credits: 0.50
Dates: All sessions take place from 5-7 pm in room G305 on Wednesday, 1/7, 1/14 and 1/28/26.
Course Description: Overview of clinical anesthesia for dentistry. Covered topics include oral sedation, IV sedation, and inpatient and outpatient general anesthesia, and will include pharmacology and practical applications. Some reading may be assigned.
Grading Requirements: Attendance to all sessions of the elective is required for a passing grade along with any additional reading or other assignments as designated by the course presenter.
Advanced Topics in Special Care Dentistry
Instructor(s): Dr. Sydnee Chavis
Credits: 0.5
Course Capacity: 20 students
Dates: Wednesday, 1/21, 1/28, 2/4, 2/18, 2/25 and 3/4. All sessions will take place in room G307 from 5-7 pm.
Course Description: Patients with special health care needs and medical complexities, especially adult patients, face significant disparities in access to dental care and oral healthcare outcomes compared to the general population. This course will take a deeper dive into considerations for care of adults with special healthcare needs and explore methods of patient management and treatment. It will also review topics such as obtaining and presenting a medical history, collaborating with physicians and other members of the healthcare team, communicating with patients and their families with clarity and empathy and triaging and making appropriate patient referrals for comprehensive care. This course will support students’ abilities, skills and comfort in managing and treating patients with special needs, as well as understanding medical contexts of dental care, and collaborations with the medical team to support patient care.
Students will have the option to participate in up to 4 clinic sessions as part of this elective course, with the goal of following a patient with special needs that modifies their dental treatment throughout the semester. There will be a goal of participating in at least 2 optional clinic sessions in the Special Care and Geriatrics Clinic during the course of the semester.
Note: This course will be recommended especially for D3 students who are interested in the Special Care and Geriatrics Clerkship.
Grading Requirements: Grading will be based on student attendance, participation and completion of a presentation to the faculty and class in a pass/fail manner. Students will not meet the passing requirement if they do not actively participate, do not present to their peers and faculty within the elective, or if they miss more than one lecture unexcused.
Clear Aligners for General Practitioners
This elective has a prerequisite of passing ORTH 538. This elective is only available for D4 students.
Instructor(s): Dr. Flavio Copello
Credits: 0.5
Course Capacity: 40 students (D4 students only)
Dates: Monday, 3/2, Wednesday, 3/4, Monday, 3/9 and Wednesday 3/11. All sessions will take place in room G205 from 5-7 pm. PLEASE NOTE – For the 2nd, 3rd and 4th sessions, students are required to bring their personal laptops.
Course Description: The course will consist of five lectures on clear aligners to general dentists. The main objective of the course is to describe how these devices work, how they should be planned and what type of patients the general practitioner should select to treat. Topics such as concepts of orthodontic aligners, basic fundamentals of biomechanics with aligners, digital workflow, laboratory and clinical procedures, and a specific class on case selection will be addressed. In addition, a final exam will be taken with multiple choice and free answer questions.
Grading Requirements: Attendance to all sessions of this elective is required for a passing grade. The course director may have additional specific requirements that need to be met.
Mindfully Navigating Conflict Resolution in the Practice of Dentistry
Instructor: Dr. Douglas Drewyer
Credits: 0.5
Course Capacity: 16
Dates: All sessions will take place from 5-7 pm in room 9102 on Monday 3/2, 3/9, 3/16 and 3/30.
Course Description: Please join me for a conversational course where we address Conflict Resolution through the power of being present without judgement, strengthened through behavioral practices allowing clarification of our mutual feelings and needs. Effectively learn to develop ways to make life more ONE-DERFUL for all our partnerships, personally and professionally. Learn how to make requests that transform “Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Now what?” to a more peaceful, mutually rewarding co-existence.
Grading Requirements: Grading is pass/fail, based on attendance (100% is expected). Specific Criteria: Some written assignments to develop our skills and enrich our classroom exchanges.
Dental Implants: Diagnosis, Treatment Planning with Clinical Cases
Instructor: Dr. David Mazza
Credits: 0.5
Course Capacity: 40
Dates: Wednesday, 3/4, 3/18, 4/1 from 5-7 pm and 4/15 from 6-7 pm in room G310 with a hands-on lab on 4/15 from 5-6 pm in lab C.
Course Description: This course is designed to familiarize the dental student with principles of implant treatments, treatment planning and review of actual clinical cases from start to finish.
Discussion Items:
- Introduction to implants and its biological considerations.
- Treatment planning of implant cases utilizing CT scan, Simplant software
- Case selection (medical, masticatory musculature dynamics), prosthetic work-ups for implant cases
- Single unit implant, implant bridges and full arch, full mouth reconstruction plus implant supported over-denture protocols
- Implant protected occlusion
- Progressive load of dental implants
- Troubleshooting of common dental implant problems
- Reviewing several clinical cases and discussion of actual cases from start to finish
Grading Requirements: Attendance to all sessions of the elective and completion of the handout after every session.