Endodontics

The goals of the certificate program are to:

• Recruit competent interested highly qualified dental citizens of Nebraska, other U.S. states and/or from other countries.
• Provide a high standard in education and training to pursue careers in dental academic and/or private practice necessary to be proficient in endodontics.
• Provide the highest quality of diagnosing and treatment planning for various pulpal and periapical conditions to the residents of Nebraska and the Midwest.

Length: 24 consecutive months - Starts the first of July each year.

Summer Term I
Project Planning & Design - 1st Year Resident
Advanced Pre-Clinical Endodontics - 1st Year Resident
Literature Review - 2nd Year Resident
Current Literature - 2nd Year Resident
Clinical Endodontics - 2nd Year Resident

Fall Term (Aug through Dec): (*: the course is offered every other year)
Oral Pathology - 1st Year Resident
*Advanced Microbiology & Immunology - 1st & 2nd Year Resident
Oral Anatomy - 1st Year Resident
*Advanced Oral Biology - 1st & 2nd Year Resident
Literature Review - 1st & 2nd Year Resident
Medical Management/Emergencies - 1st Year Resident
Current Literature - 1st & 2nd Year Resident
Clinical Endodontics - 1st & 2nd Year Resident
Case Presentation - 1st & 2nd Year Resident
Supervision, Clinical Teaching - 2nd Year Resident

Spring Term (Jan through May): (*: the course is offered every other year)
* Advanced Clinical Pharmacology - 1st & 2nd Year Resident
*Advanced Biostatics - 1st & 2nd Year Resident
Conscious Sedation - 1st Year Resident
Physical & Laboratory Diagnosis - 1st & 2nd Year Resident
Literature Review - 1st & 2nd Year Resident
Current Literature - 1st & 2nd Year Resident
Clinical Endodontics - 1st & 2nd Year Resident
Case Presentation - 1st & 2nd Year Resident
Supervised, Pre-Clinical Teaching - 1st Year Resident

Summer Term II
Endodontic Topics - 1st & 2nd Year Resident
Literature Review - 1st & 2nd Year Resident
Current Literature - 1st & 2nd Year Resident
Clinical Endodontics - 1st & 2nd Year Resident
Case Presentation - 1st & 2nd Year Resident

• July 1 is the deadline for all applications to the UNMC College of Dentistry Endodontic Graduate Program.
• All College of Dentistry postgraduate programs admissions are handled by the college's Postgraduate Admissions Office.
• The UNMC College of Dentistry Endodontic Graduate Program requires all applicants to submit a PASS application, supplemental application and $50 application fee. The Postdoctoral Application Support Service (PASS) application is online. Visit adea.org for step-by-step instructions.
• The PASS website has an August 1 deadline, but UNMC's deadline is July 1. Please be mindful of this discrepancy when you apply through PASS. 
• The supplemental UNMC Postgraduate Program application and fee payment are online. Instructions will be sent to you by email after you have submitted the PASS application.
• The application needs to be complete for an applicant to be considered during the review process.

Who can apply:

Must have a professional dental degree from an A.D.A.-accredited dental college or school with the degree designation of Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD). Provisional acceptance exists for students in the final stages of dental education. In addition, the applicants must have a valid license to practice within the United States of America or be licensed as such by the time they are to begin the postgraduate program in endodontics.

Once accepted, a Nebraska dental license is required to participate in the program. At the present time foreign trained dentists (non-U.S. or non-Canadian dental degrees) are not being accepted for the postgraduate endodontics training program. This is because of licensing restrictions.

Applications for the program are evaluated on the basis of the following factors (listed in order):

1. GPA
2. Completed/currently in Advanced General Dentistry Programs/General Practice Residency Programs
3. Research activities and publication
4. Recommendations and interest in endodontics
5. Academic/teaching interest
6. Private practice experience

Individuals selected from the applicant pool for consideration for admission are invited for a personal interview which is an additional basis for selection of candidates.

Requirements upon acceptance in the program:

1. Deposit: To reserve your position in the program, it will be necessary for you to forward a deposit of $400 along with a letter of acceptance of the position. This deposit will be applied to your postgraduate program fees when you matriculate. It will be forfeited if you fail to enroll in July.

2. Immunizations: Each entering resident must verify at the time of matriculation that he or she has completed the accepted routine of vaccinations. An immunization record is required in order for the resident to be registered.

3. Nebraska Licensure: See below for information.

4. Equipment Purchase: All residents accepted into the program are required to purchase an endodontic microscope.

5. Scholarly Activity: During their tenure at the University of Nebraska, each resident is required to engage in some type of scholarly activity presented or published outside of the College of Dentistry. Common examples would be submission of a paper to a refereed journal, or presentation of an abstract or poster at a regional or national meeting. The subject matter of this scholarly activity may be results of their research, a case report, or a literature review. This program requirement will be verified, prior to graduation, by the program director.

6. Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR): Each resident is required to be certified and maintain certification in basic CPR. A copy of the valid certification in basic CPR must be maintained at the College of Dentistry. Re-certification is available at the College of Dentistry.

7. Emergencies and After-Hour Patient Care: The College of Dentistry has determined that a course in Emergencies and Pain Control and participation on the CODE BLUE team and the After Hours Emergency Care Program are part of the academic program for all residents located in programs housed in the College of Dentistry in Lincoln. The course will be scheduled during the first year as a required course for all new postgraduate residents.

8. Organizations: Each resident is strongly urged to participate in professional organizations, particularly the American Dental Association and the American Association of Endodontist (AAE). Attendance at the annual meeting of the AAE is encouraged as well as attendance at local dental and endodontic meetings.

9. Patient Treatment: Each resident is required to adhere to departmental and college policies and procedures regarding patient care. These policies and procedures include those outlined in the Operations Manual and Clinical Policies Manual. In addition, each resident is required to review with the departmental faculty all cases assigned for patient care. This process will include a pretreatment evaluation (to establish a diagnosis and treatment plan), treatment procedures, postoperative results, and recall evaluations.

   During this process the resident will also be required to consult with faculty from other departments within the college to insure both quality and continuity in patient care. Following completion of each case, the resident will refer the patient for appropriate restorative therapy, and recall the patient at prescribed intervals to evaluate the patient's response to treatment. Upon completion of the program, the resident will review and transfer each case he has treated and is currently treating to a first year postgraduate resident. As a minimum, each resident will complete the number of cases required by the American Board of Endodontics.

   Clinical treatment will be provided at the dental school in Lincoln for patients of record there. Additionally, residents may provide clinical treatment while on rotations at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Lincoln and the Munroe Meyer Institute in Omaha, GPR program in Omaha, and surgery rotation at Creighton University in Omaha.

Graduate Medical Education (GME) funding allocations by UNMC must be established before resident stipends for the year can be established. Residents will be assigned a 1.0 FTE status which makes them eligible for a flexible benefit package which includes choices among health, life and disability insurance. Future income is contingent upon continued availability of federal funds and, therefore, is subject to change at any time.

2022-2023 Program Costs
For postgraduate students with a U.S. or Canadian dental degree, and Nebraska residents.

There is a one-time $37.45 fee for a background check.

View the Estimated Cost of Attendance Budget from the UNMC Financial Aid Office.

Resident Loans and Loan Deferment
Currently, postgraduate residents are considered students of the College of Dentistry for financial aid purposes. Postgraduate residents may get financial aid information from the UNMC Financial Aid Office and resident loan payments for postgraduate residents can be deferred. 

Vacation/Sick Leave
Postgraduate residents shall have ten (10) scheduled working days of paid leave per year. Leave includes vacation and sick leave. All leave requests must be submitted and approved by the program director. Residents have additional vacation days that do not count toward the 10-day limit when the University is closed (e.g., the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day).

Private Practice
The dental resident shall not be permitted or engage in any private dental practice. Violation of this clause may result in dismissal from the program.

State of Nebraska Residency
As employees of the University, GME eligible postgraduate residents are considered to be residents of the State of Nebraska. Ordinarily residents who are not GME eligible are considered not to be residents of the State of Nebraska.

Postgraduate students are required to have a Nebraska Dental License (temporary or regular) by the time they are to begin the postgraduate program. Those who accept GME funding are expected to have a Nebraska Dental License (temporary or regular) and federal and state DEA licenses before July 1 of the year of the commencement of their program so they can participate in the After Hours Emergency Care Program.

It is possible for a student who has graduated from an A.D.A. accredited American or Canadian dental school and is licensed in another state, territory, or District of Columbia to obtain a temporary Nebraska Dental License during the time he or she is enrolled as a full-time postgraduate student. The temporary license is only for practice-related and clinical teaching activities within the College of Dentistry and does not allow extramural private practice.

After acceptance into the postgraduate program, licensure information may be obtained from the State of Nebraska Department of Health, Bureau of Examining Boards.

For a regular license, the State Board accepts the results of the clinical examination given by the Central Regional Dental Testing Service. The State Board also has provisions for licensure by credentials for individuals licensed in other states.

The University of Nebraska has in force professional liability insurance covering all residents within the College of Dentistry. Current coverage is $1,000,000 per person per occurrence, with $100,000 deductible. The University provides self insurance for the $100,000 deductible through the University's general and professional liability insurance program.

In conjunction with a resident’s education leading to a Certificate of Specialization in Endodontics, a program is available to complete the requirements for a M.S/Ph.D degree.

A program is available and awarded by UNMC Graduate Studies through the College of Dentistry in the Medical Sciences Interdepartmental Area (MSIA).

The program consists of expanded course-work, the conduct of an approved research project, and the submission of a formal thesis. This program is administrated by the graduate college and is not related to the certificate program; there is no clinical component, and extra course work may be required depending on the resident’s area of study. If interested in being admitted to the UNMC Graduate Studies, it is important to make a formal application as soon as possible after acceptance into the postgraduate program. Extra time will be needed to meet the requirements of the M.S./Ph.D. degree.

See University of Nebraska Medical Center Non-Discrimination and Harassment Policy.