Dr. Ignatius N. and Sally Quartararo Department of Endodontics

Presley Elmer Ellsworth Professor and Chair: Asgeir Sigurdsson, DDS, MS
Diplomate of the American Board of Endodontics

The educational goals of the predoctoral program are to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve competency in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of pulpal and periapical disease. This goal is achieved by offering the dental student an integrated endodontic experience in didactics, laboratory exercises and patient care with an emphasis on differential diagnosis, emergency care and interdisciplinary treatment.

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Predoctoral Curriculum

Second Year

Diagnosis of Oral Disease (Endodontic Component)

Endodontics is introduced as part of a multi-disciplinary course. The course enables the student to record the patient's chief complaint, medical and dental history, as well as extra-and intraoral examination and pulp and periapical tissue evaluation. The student will be able to differentiate pathosis of odontogenic and nonodontogenic origin. An essential goal of this course is to present material that allows students to learn the methods for establishing an accurate pulpal and periapical clinical diagnosis.

Management of Oral Disease (Endodontic Component)

This course component introduces the student to nonsurgical and surgical endodontic treatment modalities. The biological rationale of endodontic treatment is presented. The use of basic and new methods of instrumentation are introduced.

Complex Restoration I (Endodontic Preclinical Laboratory Technique Component)

A series of laboratory technique sessions introduce the dental student to the fundamental procedures involved in root canal access, instrumentation and obturation. Each laboratory session is preceded by an instructional lecture covering the goals and objectives for each exercise. Basic and advanced instruments and techniques involving hand and rotary root canal preparation are included in course exercises.

Third Year

Advanced Endodontics

This course, for third-year dental students, consists of a series of lectures on advanced endodontic topics. The information presented enables the student to examine, diagnosis and appropriately treat pulpal and periapical disease. Students are also taught to evaluate and treat endodontic emergencies.The evaluation of outcomes in terms of prognosis, possible complications and the restorative phase of treatment is stressed.

Endodontic Clinic

This course provides the third-year dental student with the opportunity to treat patients who require endodontic care under faculty supervision. Correlations between endodontic biology and fundamental and current treatment modalities are emphasized.

Fourth Year

Endodontic Clinic

This course provides the fourth-year dental student the opportunity to treat patients who have more complex endodontic needs, including selected molars. Interdisciplinary concerns are also a component of treatment planning these cases.

Honors in Endodontics

This course is offered to a small group of highly motivated students with a high level of academic achievement who are particulary interested in endodontics. This course presents a series of lectures and seminars on advanced and current endodontic topics that incorporate the biology of endodontic disease and the comprehensive clinical management of complex endodontic cases.

Postdoctoral Curriculum

> Advanced Education Program in Endodontics