The Dental Public Health Residency curriculum is designed to provide the resident with experiences that result in achieving competence in the field of dental public health. At the completion of the residency, the candidate should have obtained fundamental knowledge of the philosophy, principles, and practice of dental public health and should have developed skills for practicing dental public health, including research, administration, and education. The program is designed to address the ten dental public health core competencies. The required experiences and courses cover a wide range of information believed to be essential for graduates in the field of dental public health. The curriculum consists of five content areas, including didactic coursework, undergraduate dental teaching, research, clinical and supplemental learning experiences. Upon demonstration of competency in dental public health, the residents are awarded a specialty certificate.
Upon entry into the dental public health program, each resident will prepare a residency plan. This plan outlines the proposed schedule for the year and is accomplished in consultation with the Residency Director. The schedule of rotations and didactic courses will be provided to assist the resident in preparing their plan. Research topics will be identified in consultation with the Residency Director, and the research schedule will be incorporated into the residency plan.
The curriculum is divided into five broad educational initiatives:
Didactic Coursework
Dental public health residents are required to take coursework in Advanced Studies in Dental Public Health and Research Methodology. Residents are expected to have reviewed the seminal and current literature about a topic in dental public health and discuss their findings with the faculty members. Faculty members in the Department of Comprehensive Dentistry and other departments share their expertise with the residents.
Undergraduate Dental Student Teaching
The residents will supervise dental students during community-based rotations at Head Start clinics and school-based prevention programs. They will also participate in coursework in preventive and community dentistry to gain a deeper understanding of teaching methodologies for lecture-based instruction and pre-clinical/clinical teaching.
Research
The generation of knowledge and the application of scientific methods are a cornerstone of dental public health resident training. To accomplish this objective, residents will conduct two research projects fulfilling the expectations of the American Board of Dental Public Health. While the research should be focused on topics in dental public health, the work can include a study in biomedical sciences, public policy, health care delivery, or other topics in public health. The research report must follow the format outlined by the American Board of Dental Public Health, described on the American Association of Public Health Dentistry website (https://www.aaphd.org/). The plans, protocols, and reports must be developed in direct consultation with the Dental Public Health Residency Director.
Supplemental Learning Experiences
Residents are expected to develop a broad understanding of administration, programs, and policy. These areas are taught in didactic seminars and through supplemental learning experiences. In addition, residents are involved in dental public health practice and provide dental preventive and treatment services in public practice settings. To provide an understanding of the administration of dental public health programs, dental public health residents rotate through the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District and the Texas Department of State Health Services: Oral Health Group. Experiential learning provides a link between didactic learning and DPH application.
Clinical Experiences
Dental public health residents provide diagnostic, preventive, and treatment services as a component of their residency. Through the program, residents provide services to children in Head Start Programs and to elementary school children at school-based sealant clinics. Residents participate in clinical rotations at Federally Qualified Health Centers in South Texas.
After completion of this residency, you will be prepared for careers in academics, research, and administration in local, state or national public health agencies, or work with foundations, nonprofit organizations, insurance companies, and other community-based groups. The residents are eligible to become board-certified dental public health specialists by the American Board of Dental Public Health after graduating from this program.
The Dental Public Health Residency Program received a post-doctoral grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The grant allows for funds to provide a stipend to individuals who are either U.S. citizens or permanent residents. The program accepts residents on a full-time (1yr.) or part-time (2yr.) basis.