Periodontics

Overview

The Advanced Education Program in Periodontics provides a broad educational and clinical experience consisting of a 36-month curriculum leading to a certificate of training in Periodontics. The primary goals of the program are to:

  1. Provide a foundation in the clinical, behavioral and biomedical sciences that will enable the graduate to diagnose, manage and/or prevent diseases, abnormalities, and structural conditions affecting the periodontal tissues.
  2. Engender the role of the specialist as an integral and integrated member of the health professions team
  3. Encourage students to participate in dental education and to develop a philosophy of lifelong learning
  4. Prepare students to successfully qualify for the written and clinical components of the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) Board Examination

The program is fully accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association and fulfills all requirements for board eligibility as stated by the American Academy of Periodontology.

Program Strengths

  1. Diverse clinical faculty, consisting of full and part-time members, many of whom hold joint appointments in the biomedical sciences or the Department of Implant Dentistry
  2. Diverse and large patient population, which provides a wide range of clinical experiences
  3. Opportunities for basic and/or clinical research within the College or through collaboration with the adjacent NYU Medical Center
  4. Intensive didactic and clinical programs that focus on advanced and innovative approaches to therapy
  5. Close collaboration with the Advanced Education Programs in Endodontics, Prosthodontics, and Orthodontics.

The didactic program embodies a formal curriculum in the biomedical, behavioral, and clinical sciences that has been developed specifically for the Advanced Education Program in Periodontics. The didactic program in the first year is largely devoted to the biomedical sciences, and students experience a curriculum that constitutes a rich foundation in the relevant biomedical sciences specifically designed to prepare them for patient care. In addition to the biomedical sciences, first-year students are also introduced to the fundamentals of clinical periodontics through a didactic curriculum that includes an extensive review of the classical literature, an in-depth review of anatomical pathophysiology, an introduction to advanced clinical periodontics, a series of interdisciplinary case reports, and an in-depth review of oral medicine. In the second and third years of the program, students participate in an in-depth didactic program in the clinical sciences, with emphasis on more advanced diagnostic, treatment planning, and surgical and non-surgical therapeutic techniques.

Overall, approximately 20 percent of the program consists of didactic content. In the first year, courses in the biomedical sciences focus on topics such as biology of bone, wound healing, research techniques, CBCT interpretation, introduction to statistics, host response, and clinical periodontics. In addition, students must complete a course in pedagogical techniques in preparation for teaching at the undergraduate level. Supplementing the biomedical sciences are courses in the clinical sciences which include classic literature review, periodontics clinic, and practical oral medicine. In addition, all students must successfully qualify in Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS).

The curriculum in the second year includes a course specifically designed to develop analytical skills in assessing the scientific literature. Additional courses in the second and third years focus on the clinical sciences and include current literature review, ortho-perio seminar, periodontal prosthesis, current concepts in implant dentistry and bone regeneration, clinical surgical seminar, and practice management.

All students participate in periodontal case conference and advanced prosthodontic treatment planning with their colleagues in the PG Prosthodontics program throughout the duration of the program.

In additional to formal courses, throughout all three years, lectures, seminars, and case conferences that integrate the biomedical and clinical sciences constitute a vital part of the program. Students actively participate in these sessions as part of their training and frequently serve as seminar leaders. Emphasis is placed on a biologic orientation and application of these principles to the clinical management of periodontal diseases. Informal academic gatherings are arranged with outstanding clinicians and scientists in periodontology and allied fields to provide a unique source of stimulation and knowledge.

The clinical component of the program constitutes approximately 65 percent of the curriculum and is a major strength of the program. Situated in an urban center and adjacent to one of the major medical centers in the Northeast, (NYU Langone Medical Center), the periodontics clinic has available one of the largest patient pools nationally, representing a full range of periodontal diseases and conditions. In addition to conventional surgical and non-surgical modalities of periodontal therapy, students gain broad experience in the following advanced surgical procedures:

  • Implant dentistry, including preparation of the implant site, as well as implant placement itself. Students are trained in a number of site development strategies, including sinus lift, ridge augmentation, and guided bone regeneration. This is in conjunction with training in those phases of the procedure that are specifically involved in the actual surgical placement of the implant.
  • Functional and aesthetic surgical procedures, including hard and soft tissue grafting procedures.
  • Regenerative surgical procedures involving autogenous, allograft, and alloplastic bone substances, often in conjunction with the application of either two-stage non-resorbable, or single-stage, biodegradable, membrane barriers. In addition, advanced clinical training is provided in periodontal therapies in conjunction with therapies that address various endodontic, orthodontic, and prosthodontic conditions.

To obtain a general understanding of theory and methods of scientific research, all students are required to engage in some form of scholarly activity. Students are expected to be able to identify basic research design elements, specify research questions, evaluate types of study designs, and understand the role of statistics in scientific decision making. Structured, formal research activity is available through a master's degree offered by NYU Dentistry, either in biomaterial science, biology/oral biology, or clinical research. Alternatively, students may choose to prepare formal case reports and/or literature reviews for publication, present findings at national or regional professional meetings, or participate in basic or clinical research activities of the department or College.

Students obtain experience teaching dental students at the undergraduate level.  

This is a 3-year (36 months) postdoctoral certificate program for the specialty practice of Periodontics. The program runs July 1 through June 30.

Completion of the CODA-accredited Advanced Education Program in Periodontics satisfies the training requirements for eligibility for participation in the board certification process for the American Board of Periodontics. Eligibility for dental licensure is based on pre-professional, professional and post-graduate training and varies by state/jurisdiction. Candidates should check the state/jurisdiction regulations for dental licensure for the state(s)/jurisdictions(s) in which they are seeking licensure in order to ensure that they comply with all requirements.

NYU College of Dentistry welcomes dentists and dental students who are interested in applying for specialty dental education to visit our programs. Visitors to the Advanced Specialty Education Programs at NYU College of Dentistry may attend lectures/seminars and may observe, but may not participate in, direct clinical patient care.

For additional information and application, interested individuals should email dental.perio.observe@nyu.edu.

The Advanced Education Program in Periodontics 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.

For more information visit the Commission’s website.

COVID-19 VACCINE-RELATED REQUIREMENTS

Mandatory Vaccinations, Boosters, and Records Upload

All members of the NYU community — students, faculty, employees, vendors, affiliates, and campus visitors — are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, to upload proof of their vaccination to NYU's portal, and to have that vaccination documentation accepted by NYU.

NYU Dentistry also must abide by the New York State Department of Health (DOH) regulations "Prevention of COVID-19 Transmission by Covered Entities" (10 NYCRR 2.61). Please note: As of January 13, 2023, the information regarding the applicability and scope of DOH regulations is subject to change, as the regulations are subject to ongoing litigation between the state of New York and a non-NYU party. NYU is monitoring the status of the regulations and this page will be updated prior to matriculation of currently admitted students.

Read the Message to all Admitted Students regarding Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination »

 

For more information, please contact:

Babak Hamidi, DDS
Program Director

Leena Palomo, DDS, MSD
Chair, Department of Periodontology & Implant Dentistry

dental.perio.observe@nyu.edu
For Educational Visits/Observership Opportunities