| The Advanced Dental Education Program in Periodontics (ADEPP) is designed to train residents in all facets of periodontology and to prepare them for examination by the American Board of Periodontology. The program is based in a core curriculum of traditional periodontics that includes training in all aspects of diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment planning. Diversity in the training of faculty exposes each resident to various concepts of conventional surgical and non-surgical therapy. The implantology piece of the ADEPP includes training in state of the art guided bone regeneration techniques for alveolar ridge and maxillary sinus augmentation. Graduates of the ADEPP become proficient in inhalation and intravenous conscious sedation. Residents are required to complete a research project. The intent of the research is to give residents some appreciation of experimental design and research technology. Each resident will report his/her research in a manuscript worthy of publication. Resident research may be either clinical or basic science related. Some projects have satisfied the research requirement for the Master of Science degree. While the MS has been an optional pursuit for residents in the past, each resident entering the ADEPP will be required to enroll in the Graduate School of the University of Maryland and pursue the Master of Science degree. Each resident will also be encouraged to submit papers for presentation in the Balint Orban Memorial Competition and Research Forum conducted annually by the American Academy of Periodontology. Over the years, the program has benefited substantially from a corps of dedicated graduates who volunteer their time and other commodities to benefit resident life. Over 50% of the clinical teaching in the program is currently being carried out by this precious resource. The Periodontal Regeneration and Implant Research Center (PRI), which has become the focal point of the implant program, became a reality through the contributions of Maryland Alumni. The PRI was developed to benefit all elements of the ADEPP and to provide financial assistance to residents. It has become an active center where faculty and residents have conducted clinical research. The Gerald M. Bowers Study Club, an organization of program graduates, has made a generous commitment to the program by providing photographic film and processing for all residents in the program. Clearly, the ADEPP exists in its present form only because of this umbrella of loyalty from its alumni. The ADEPP has always emphasized the importance of its graduates sitting for peer review by the American Board of Periodontology. Since 1980, over 40% of eligible graduates have become Diplomates of the Board. Board certification is an outcome measure by which the effectiveness of the ADEPP at the University of Maryland is consistently evaluated. The ADEPP requires that applicants have successfully completed a dental program accredited by the American Dental Association. Each application must include National Board scores, dental school class rank and overall GPA, a current curriculum vitae, and 2 letters of recommendation. Ideally, applicants will have attended either a GPR/AEGD program or have gained other experience in the practice of dentistry. A limited Maryland State dental license will be required for residents who teach in the predoctoral clinics. The ADEPP also welcomes applications from candidates trained in dental schools outside the United States. For those individuals GRE scores, TOEFL scores, and a WES assessment of their dental training should be included in the application along with the dental school class rank and GPA, curriculum vitae, and letters of recommendation. The ADEPP enrolls 3-5 residents each year. Traditionally, the acceptance to total applicants ratio has been 1:15. Residents have the opportunity to earn stipends according to a cost-sharing plan that is based upon individual resident productivity and clinic income. The clinical setting for the ADEPP is individual operatories in Dental School graduate clinics and Veterans Administration dental service clinics. In addition to their clinical training in periodontics, residents receive specific training in a core curriculum of Oral Pathology, 80 hours; Immunology, 45 hours; Implantology, 120 hours; Head and Neck Anatomy, 90 hours; Pharmacology and IV/Conscious sedation, 130 hours; and Statistics and Experimental Design, 60 hours. They participate in an 80 hour anesthesiology rotation at the VAMC. The breakdown of a typical resident's time is: didactic courses 30%, research 10%, patient treatment 55%, and teaching, 5% (second year only). The ADEPP at the University of Maryland is associated with advanced dental residency programs in prosthodontics, endodontics, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, oral maxillofacial surgery, advanced general dentistry, and general practice.
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