Upon completion of the program, the student receives a Certificate in Pediatric Dentistry and meets eligibility requirements for the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry examination. This program is designed according to the guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the accreditation requirements of the American Dental Association Council on Dental Education. The program has been granted full approval by the Council on Dental Education and includes the courses listed below. The Core Curriculum is designed to provide a broad foundation in the Biomedical Sciences upon which varied dental subjects and training in specialized dental disciplines are based. The Biomedical Science Core Curriculum meets the requirements set forth by the American Dental Association for all advanced dental specialty educations.
Didactic instruction occurs in a weekly two-hour seminar during both academic years of the program.
At the beginning of the first year, the student participates in a review course covering basic treatment techniques. The student is involved in seminar discussion as well as preclinical technique experiences. Patients requiring conscious sedation are treated in the department clinic. Patients requiring general anesthesia are treated in the facilities of the adjoining University Hospital. Classical readings and current periodic literature are reviewed for subjects such as child development, behavior management, growth and development, cariology and prevention, pulp biology, trauma, genetic syndromes, space management and interceptive orthodontics, dental materials and restorative dentistry, oral pathology, and periodontal disease.