What's Inside  Advanced Education in Periodontology
	• Application Information • Faculty • Didactic Program • Students • Other Resources • Dent 8250 • Faculty Enrichment

• Mission Statement
• Introduction
• Facilities and Instruments
• Orientation
• Tuition and Financial Aid
• Didactic Program
• Faculty
• Clinical Dental Research Center

To provide a quality educational experience in Periodontology to enable our graduates to pursue a career in clinical practice, teaching or research.

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Introduction

The Advanced Education Program in Periodontology at the University of Minnesota offers four levels of training in Periodontology. Depending on the resident's career goals, he/she may choose from (1) a certificate in Periodontology with limited exposure to research or (2) a certificate with a Masters degree and a thesis written on an original research project. Residents who are interested in academic careers can pursue a certificate in Periodontology with (3) a Ph.D. in Oral Biology or a related field (six years), or 4) a Masters degree in Clinical Research (four years) through the School of Public Health. All 4 options prepare individuals for their specialty board examination as administered by the American Board of Periodontology (ABP). The Advanced Education Program in Periodontology selects a maximum of three residents each year. The program begins the third Monday in May each year, although an alternative starting date may be arranged. Depending upon the individual, additional time may be required to complete the thesis and/or clinical training. International applicants whose primary language is not English are required to obtain a TOEFL (Test for English as a Foreign Language) score of > 590, and may be required to take a one-month language course prior to entering the Advanced Education Program in Periodontology.

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Facilities and Instruments

The Periodontology Graduate Program operates a modern, well-equipped clinic which is located in the University of Minnesota's Health Sciences Center. Complete facilities for surgical and non-surgical periodontal therapy are available. Clinical, research and office space is assigned to each graduate student throughout the training program. Collaborative clinical and didactic experiences are available with graduate students from: endodontics, oral pathology, orthodontics, oral surgery, pediatric dentistry, prosthodontics and others. Students within the fields of general dentistry, dental hygiene and dental assisting are available to assist during various clinical procedures. The student to faculty ratio is 6 to 1 during clinic. Four of seven full-time divisional faculty members are diplomates of the American Board of Periodontology. The Division of Periodontology supplies all clinical instruments at a moderate rental fee. Each student is required to have a high quality camera which is suitable for intraoral photography. The curriculum for MS students is approximately 55% clinical, 30% didactic and 15% research; while Ph.D. students devote approximately 30% of their time to clinic, 35% to didactic and 35% to research. Clinical experience includes recognizing varying etiologies of moderate to advanced periodontal disease and treating between 75 and 100 cases.

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Orientation

During the first two days of the program, incoming graduate students attend orientation seminars to familiarize themselves with the School of Dentistry, the Health Science Centers and graduate education at the University of Minnesota.

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Tuition and Financial Aid

Tuition and incidental fees are approximately $4,500.00* per semester for either the MS or PhD program. All graduate students have limited teaching responsibilities with predoctoral students. Students accepted into the program are, therefore, advised to seek financial aid if necessary from other sources. Students are discouraged from practicing extramural general dentistry while enrolled in the program. * Subject to change.

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Clinical Dental Research Center
The Clinical Dental Research Center at the University of Minnesota is one of two centers in the United States sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.

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