AEGD Program Details

The program in advanced education in general dentistry (12 month) is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation and has been granted the accreditation status of “approval without reporting requirements.” 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. The Commission’s web address is: http://www.ada.org/en/coda.  

The Commission on Dental Accreditation has accredited the program in advanced education in general dentistry (12 month). However, accreditation of the program does not in itself constitute recognition of any dental specialty status. 

The purpose of the UNMC College of Dentistry's AEGD program is to train recent dental school graduates to deliver comprehensive dental care to a wide range of patients with varying needs, in different clinical environments at an advanced level of skill and/or complexity beyond that accomplished in their pre-doctoral education. The resident’s basic knowledge and skills will be reinforced and expanded in the areas of pathology, diagnosis, treatment planning, and clinical and preventive dentistry, dental emergencies and pain and anxiety control utilizing behavioral and/or pharmacological techniques. In addition, the resident will be exposed to advanced training in the areas of endodontics, prosthodontics, orthodontics, oral surgery, periodontics, pediatric dentistry, implantology, TMD and restorative dentistry. Furthermore, the program strives to instill in the resident, practice management and production skills that will translate into their private practices upon completion of the residency program. Finally, it will reinforce the necessity of lifelong learning and strengthen critical thinking to apply evidenced based patient care.

Goals and Objectives of the Program

1. Expand the capacity of the recent graduate to provide comprehensive dental care by providing opportunities which refine clinical skills, building on existing foundational knowledge (both basic and applied) and skills in the areas of operative dentistry, endodontics, periodontics, prosthodontics (including implants), pediatric dentistry and oral surgery.
   
   Objective 1a: Residents will provide emergency and multidisciplinary comprehensive oral health care.
   Objective 1b: Residents will provide oral health care at an advanced level of skill and/or case complexity beyond that accomplished in pre-doctoral training: including restorative dentistry, restoration of the edentulous space, periodontal therapy, endodontic therapy, oral surgery, evaluation and treatment of dental emergencies, and pain and anxiety control utilizing behavioral and/or pharmacological techniques.
   Objective 1c: Residents will be able to manage medical emergencies, implants, oral mucosal diseases, temporomandibular disorders and orofacial pain.
   
   
2. Provide experiences in community settings so that the generalist will be better prepared to actively participate in the comprehensive health care of a wide range of patients in a variety of settings, especially underserved communities.
   
   Objective 2a: Residents will foster and build relationships between the generalist and other members of the health care team.
   Objective 2b: Residents will develop knowledge and skills to provide dental care in non-traditional settings and environments including the organization and delivery of oral health care as a part of community service.
   Objective 2c: Residents will have a working knowledge and develop skills in managing patients with developmental disabilities, mental illness, physical disabilities, complex medical problems and social situations, which may impact patient management and provision of comprehensive dental care.
   Objective 2d: Residents will develop general understanding and application of laboratory and diagnostics in systemic disease.
   
   
3. Refine the clinical skills a generalist brings to the program, providing an opportunity to individualize certain aspects of training while taking into account varying abilities, background and career goals and by applying critical thinking principles, evidence/outcomes based care, and use of information databases in clinical decision making and practice management.
   
   Objective 3a: Residents will expand their skills in critical thinking and analysis of care outcomes applied to clinical practice.
   Objective 3b: Residents will expand upon their understanding of databases and apply information retrieved to provide evidenced based care.
   Objective 3c: Residents will utilize principles of practice management such as professional ethics, jurisprudence and risk management, management of office personnel and quality management.
   
   
4. Provide experiences that will enable a generalist to interact with other members of interdisciplinary health care teams in a variety of health care delivery environments.
   
   Objective 4a: Residents will promote communication and function effectively within interdisciplinary health care teams, including consultation and referral.
   Objective 4b: Residents will coordinate and provide patient-focused care, and direct health promotion and disease prevention activities.
   Objective 4c: Residents will conduct medical assessments and physical evaluations of patients and refer to appropriate health care professionals as necessary.
   Objective 4d: Residents will present formal interdisciplinary patient care conferences.
   
   
5. Develop appropriate attitudes and behavior toward the profession by providing the opportunity for professional development as a clinician, teacher, researcher and administrator.
   
   Objective 5a: Residents will enhance their skills in critical review of relevant scientific literature, and prepare and present position papers to others within the healthcare field.
   Objective 5b: Residents will utilize the values of professional ethics, patient’s rights, lifelong learning, patient centered care, adaptability, and acceptance and appreciation of cultural diversity in professional practice.
   Objective 5c: Residents will participate in and apply knowledge from continuing education, instilling lifelong learning and professional growth.
   Objective 5d: Residents will serve as the coordinator/administrator of the oral health care team in providing optimal patient care and utilizing best practices of patient and practice management.
   Objective 5e: Residents will participate in clinical teaching of dental hygiene and pre-doctoral dental students.

The Commission on Dental Accreditation describes the goals of an AEGD as follows: Advanced Education Programs in General Dentistry are educational programs designed to provide training beyond the level of pre-doctoral education in oral health care, using applied basic and behavioral sciences. Education in these programs is based on the concept that oral health is an integral and interactive part of total health. The programs are designed to expand the scope and depth of the graduates’ knowledge and skills to enable them to provide comprehensive oral health care to a wide range of population groups. The goals of these programs should include preparation of the graduate to:

1. 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; and directing health promotion and disease prevention activities.
2. Plan and provide multidisciplinary oral health care for a wide variety of patients including patients with special needs.
3. 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.
4. Function effectively and efficiently in multiple health care environments within interdisciplinary health care teams.
5. Apply scientific principles to learning and oral health care. This includes using critical thinking, evidence or outcomes-based clinical decision-making, and technology-based information retrieval systems.
6. Utilize the values of professional ethics, lifelong learning, patient centered care, adaptability, and acceptance of cultural diversity in professional practice.
7. Understand the oral health needs of communities and engage in community service.

Upon successful completion of the one-year AEGD residency program at UNMC, the resident will receive a certificate. The following criteria will be utilized in evaluating the resident for certification. As part of the current competency and proficiency movement in postgraduate general dentistry, it will be the resident’s responsibility to provide documentation of their experiences during the residency. (Competency statements are available on-site for review or are available upon request.) Documents will be gathered and presented for review by the faculty on a periodic basis. Documents will be stored through the use of a portfolio. Criteria for successful evaluation will be:

• Completion of all off site and UNMC rotations with an over-all satisfactory evaluation by the attending staff or their designee.
• Completion of all medical and dental records in accordance with established quality assurance guidelines.
• Completion of check out of materials and supplies.
• Completion of dental treatment on a sufficient number of patients that demonstrate quality comprehensive care.
• Demonstration of a high degree of professionalism through interplay with other health care professionals in the dental treatment of patients who are medically, mentally, and physically challenged as well as participation in a community service project.
• Satisfactory completion of record and patient care audits in accordance with established quality assurance guidelines.
• Satisfactory participation in the program's clinical and didactic curriculum.
• Completion of one manuscript suitable for publication in a peer refereed journal or participation in clinically based research or formal presentation of a self- investigated topic to a collection of peers within the academic or professional community.

Program Director - The program has a director responsible for the day-to-day administration of the clinic. The director also spends a significant percentage of time with the residents in both clinical and educational components of the program.

Attending Staff - Residents receive guidance, supervision, education and treatment planning advice from both generalists and specialists throughout the program. Specialists are available for consultation on a regularly scheduled basis and include endodontics, oral pathology, oral surgery, pediatric dentistry, periodontics, prosthodontics, and oral-maxillofacial prosthetics. Patients are scheduled by the residents for consultation or supervision of treatment with a specialist when the resident feels the patient has need for special consideration.

Support Staff - Residents are provided with dental assistant support to allow for utilization of four-handed dentistry. A billing / insurance specialist and clinic scheduler are available to ensure efficient administration of patient scheduling, records and finances. Dental hygienists are also employed to help provide preventive, diagnostic, periodontal and other adjunct services to our patients.

Attending Staff and Adjunct Faculty

Jay Hansen, DDS
AEGD Program Director, Generalist

Sumit Yadav, BDS, MDS, MBA, PhD
Chair of the Department of Growth & Development, Henry and Anne Cech Professor of Orthodontics

• Yoshiharu Ameku, DDS, Clinical Assistant Professor, Prosthodontics
• Gregory Bennett, DDS, Assistant Professor, Generalist
• J. Bruce Bavitz, DMD, Director Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery Internship, Oral Surgeon
• Gregory Bennett, DDS, Assistant Professor, Generalist
• Amir Farhangpour, DDS, Assistant Dean for Omaha Clinics, Generalist
• Peter Giannini, DDS, MS, Associate Professor, Oral Pathology
• Zachary Houser, DMD, Assistant Professor, Pediatric Dentistry
• Amy Killeen, DDS, MS, Assistant Professor, Periodontics
• Jeffrey Markt, DDS, MS, Associate Professor, Oral Facial Prosthodontics
• Aaron McCoy, DDS, Clinical Instructor, Generalist
• Scott Morrison, DDS, MS, Clinical Instructor, Periodontics
• Nagamani Narayana, DMD, MS, Associate Professor, Oral Pathology
• Kathy O’Brien-Ausman, DDS, GPR Program Director, Generalist
• Brian Penly, DDS, Clinical Instructor, Generalist
• Steven Pryor, DDS, MS, Clinical Instructor, Endodontics
• Eric Turnidge, DDS, Clinical Instructor, Generalist
• Corinne Van Osdel, DDS, Clinical Instructor, Generalist
• Daisy Wilka, DDS, Clinical Instructor, Generalist
• Madelyn Zastrow, DDS, Clinical Instructor, Generalist

UNMC College of Dentistry Dental Clinic
The UNMC College of Dentistry Dental Clinic is located in the University of Nebraska Medical Center Durham Outpatient Center. The clinic was renovated in 2019. The project included 15 fully equipped operatories, a laboratory, sterilization area, radiographic imaging room with a digital pantomograph unit, resident's room, scheduling office, billing office, large waiting room and restrooms.

The dental operatories in the clinic are fully equipped. The clinic utilizes a digital radiographic system and computer workstations for chairside use. The dental units are state-of-the-art equipment with fiber optic capabilities. A surgical endodontic microscope and CEREC Omnicam and Blue-cam with a milling unit for porcelain restoration fabrication are also available for resident’s use. Rotary Endodontic and Implant Placement Systems, including handpieces, are frequently utilized as well as a soft-tissue laser. Several new complete sets of oral surgery instruments are available. A portable radiographic unit (Nomad) and dental unit as well as two portable pulse oximeters are available for treatment rendered in the operating room or on the patient floors.

Library
Since the program is located at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, an extensive library facility is immediately available for the resident's use. The McGoogan Health Sciences Library within the University Hospital has all necessary medical and most major dental publications. The C.Y. Thompson Library in Lincoln can supply other dental references or minor publications required for resident use. Library loan or courier service can provide journals, articles or books quickly. In addition, extensive audiovisual files are in the Medical Center Library for the resident's review. Computer access to internet reference sites is available in the clinic's resident room.

Dental residents spend approximately 75% of their time providing dental care to a wide variety of patients. These groups include:

• Medical/dental inpatients referred for evaluation and treatment
• Medically, mentally, physically challenged outpatients
• Well outpatients
• Geriatric patients
• Social Services patients
• Emergency walk-ins
• Military Veterans

Residents will participate in the screening of patients admitted to the program and the development of definitive treatment plans. The treatment plans are presented to the attending staff in the dental clinic and at weekly treatment planning meetings. At that time, the attending staff will review the treatment plan with the residents and make recommendations, review options of treatment and discuss rationale of treatment plan decisions. An active Nebraska state dental license is necessary to participate in this program and to receive the stipend. Incoming residents will be provided with additional information regarding temporary state licensure.

Special emphasis is given to oncology, liver transplant, heart transplant, pancreas transplant, cardiac valve replacement, HIV patients and their problems. The dental residency program works closely with these services preparing and managing these patients.

Training in physical evaluation will be provided during the first months of the program to allow the residents to more actively participate in the care of patients.

Safe Work Environment
The program follows State, Federal, and National regulatory bodies with respect to asepsis and safety within the workplace. Emergency preparedness and safe work environment materials are available for review. Some of these documents will be provided to the resident during orientation.