Advanced Education in General Dentistry
The Tufts University Advanced Education in General Dentistry Program (AEGD) was founded in 2014 and is Accredited with the Commission of Dental Accreditation. It is conducted with the cooperation and participation of its sponsoring institutions, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine (TUSDM) and Maine Medical Center (MMC) and its major affiliated institution, Community Dental (CD) and Tufts Dental Facilities (TDF). There are eight positions available in this one-year program; four positions are situated in Boston and four are situated in Maine.
Boston-based Residency
The Boston-based residents receive clinical instruction primarily at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. Training emphasizes general dentistry including diagnosis and treatment planning, preventive dentistry, restorative dentistry, oral surgery, periodontal treatment, and endodontics for the general population. Residents also receive instruction through Tufts Dental Facilities in treating patients with multiple disabilities and limitations.
Maine-Based Residency
The rotations provide the residents with diverse clinical and educational experiences. The Maine-based residents receive clinical instruction at Community Dental clinics in Portland, Biddeford, and Lewiston, and include rotations in Farmington and Rumford. Training emphasizes general dentistry including diagnosis and treatment planning, preventive dentistry, restorative dentistry, oral surgery, periodontal treatment, and endodontics for the general population. Additionally, residents treat patients with multiple disabilities and limitations as well as focused care for vulnerable populations, and pediatric patients at Community Dental clinics.
Curriculum
The didactic portion of the AEGD program is conducted throughout the year. The program includes continuing education courses given at the University, at Community Dental and at other institutions. Residents participate in weekly patient care conferences (including guest lectures) both in-person and through a distance-learning website created for the program. Emphasis is placed on ideal, alternative, and actual treatment planning via case presentations for both dental and medical management for all patient populations.
The goals and objectives of the Tufts AEGD will prepare graduates to become an important part of the communities they choose to serve. Emphasized goals prepare practitioners to
- act as a primary care provider for individuals and for groups of patients;
- apply their exposure to advanced dental treatment modalities to the practice of dentistry;
- have a working knowledge of developmental disabilities, mental illness, and physical disabilities and the impact these conditions have on the provision of comprehensive dental care;
- function effectively within health care environments;
- function effectively as a member of an interdisciplinary health care team;
- provide emergency oral health care;
- promote disease prevention and oral health promotion for patients in the clinical environment as well as the community;
- manage the delivery of oral health care by applying concepts of patient and practice management;
- understand the fundamentals of quality care and the concept of quality assurance;
- apply scientific principles to learning and oral health care;
- utilize the values of professional ethics, patient’s rights, lifelong learning, patient centered care, adaptability, and acceptance of cultural diversity in professional practice.
Each trimester, faculty members review individual personal and professional goals specifically designed by each resident. Each resident is able to focus on his/her own needs and interests in dentistry and medicine and to further enhance the variety of definitions he/she may consider necessary to be successful in post-graduate training.