Advanced Education in General Dentistry Program

A unique and exceptional program in concept and design, the AEGD (PGY-1 level = 12 months; PGY-2 level - second year optional) Program is part of NYU Langone Dental Medicine Postdoctoral Residency Programs. The AEGD Program advances a resident's skills in general dentistry and is fully accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) of the American Dental Association (ADA). All affiliated clinical training sites are CODA approved to administer NYU Langone Dental Medicine's Postdoctoral Residency Programs. Residents can train in one of hundreds of the program’s affiliated CODA-approved training sites throughout the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii and the Caribbean. Residents are guided and mentored on-site by acclaimed faculty members while performing procedures on large and ethnically-diverse vulnerable populations. Upon successful completion of the program, residents graduate as highly skilled and confident dental practitioners, fully equipped to meet the challenges of the complex world of modern dentistry.

To see a list of locations where AEGD positions are offered, click here.

Program Strengths

*Benefits include medical, dental, liability insurance, prescription plan, PTO days, holidays, continuing education days

• Innovative concept, design and structure.
• Standardized and calibrated core clinical and didactic curricula that are CODA approved.
• Program uses advanced learning methodologies to deliver the didactic curriculum and via asynchronous and synchronous technologies and platforms.
• Clinical training sites supplement and enhance upon the core clinical and didactic curricula utilizing their exceptional internal resources.
• Personalized mentoring and guidance from knowledgeable and skilled oral health care professionals.
• Residents become exceptionally well-trained in the diagnosis and treatment of a full range of dental health care challenges frequently seen in small, medium, or large remote, urban or rural primary care group practices.
• Comprehensive general dentistry training, mentoring, and preparation for future general practice endeavors as well as preparation for advanced specialty programs endeavors.
• Training in the comprehensive clinical care and management of patients, as well as exposure to complex treatment modalities in most dental disciplines.
• Understanding of the oral health needs and providing culturally competent and patient-care focused health care to socially/economically-disadvantaged large populations.
• Development of professional commitment to life-long learning that incorporates evidence-based, decision-making processes and implementing quality assurance methodologies.

Program History and Description

Established in 1988, the AEGD Program turns accomplished dental-school graduates into advanced clinicians while residents concurrently provide oral healthcare to vulnerable communities. The program is the largest in the world of its kind and builds confidence and expertise in diagnosing, treating and managing the oral healthcare needs of dental patients in community health centers, private solo or group practices, dental public health programs, schools of dentistry, healthcare organizations and clinical operations. Since inception, the program has successfully prepared thousands of dental practitioners while fulfilling its mission to serve large, ethnically diverse and needy communities by providing comprehensive, high-quality dental care. Residents contribute to a national public health initiative to improve upon access to and receipt of quality oral health care services by these communities.

During their academic year, residents will receive clinical experience in most disciplines of dentistry including preventive, restorative, endodontics, periodontics, removable prosthodontics, fixed prosthodontics, hard and soft tissue surgery, sedation techniques, pain and trauma management, and dental public health. The patients treated by residents represent children, adults and the elderly, as well as populations that present with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and a variety of medically complex conditions.  Patient visits generated by residents may range from 1,500 to 2,000 annually.  The clinical experience is complemented with a robust didactic curriculum.

The program guides the residents to build upon confidence and competence with diagnosing, treating and managing the oral health needs of dental patients in a variety of practice settings including community health centers, private or group practices, Indian Health Service sites, and dental school campuses. Residents will practice in an environment that promotes interdisciplinary, inter-professional patient care management as they work collaboratively with allied dental health care providers, physicians, and other health care practitioners. 

To view the goals and objectives of the AEGD program, click here.

Core Curriculum

Clinical curriculum:

• 80% of the core curriculum.
• Residents are the primary health care providers of comprehensive general dentistry treatment and services to patients.
• Consistent with CODA standards, residents will receive training and experience to:
  • Act as a primary oral health care provider to include:
    • Providing emergency and multidisciplinary comprehensive oral health care.
    • Obtaining informed consent.
    • Functioning effectively within interdisciplinary healthcare teams including consultation and referral.
    • Providing patient-focused care that is coordinated by the general practitioner.
    • Directing health promotion and disease prevention activities.
  • Assess, diagnose and plan for the provision of multidisciplinary oral health care for a wide variety of patients including patients with special needs.
  • Manage the delivery of patient-focused oral health care.
  • Provide the following dental treatment and services:
  • Operative dentistry
  • Restoration of the edentulous space (removable & fixed prosthodontics)
  • Periodontal therapy
  • Endodontic therapy
  • Oral surgery
  • Evaluation & treatment of dental emergencies
  • Pain & anxiety control utilizing behavioral and/or pharmacologic techniques

Resident Schedule:

• In general:
  • the AEGD resident’s schedule is minimally 40 hours per week/52 weeks per year to satisfy the program’s time requirements towards achieving the program certificate, and in addition to completing all the program’s clinical and didactic curriculum requirements.
  • Residents must complete one year and/or 12 months of the program to receive the program certificate.
  • There are no formal Emergency Room and Operating Room rotations or On-call requirements. However, clinical training sites receive program approval to develop supplemental experiences in these areas either by site or by resident request.

Clinical training sites provide the residents with the resources necessary to achieve clinical training experiences and utilizing current methods, materials and equipment in a modern practice environment.

 Didactic Curriculum:

• 20% of the core curriculum.
• Approximately 250 hours of coursework:
  • 75% delivered through asynchronous, online lecture modules; promotes self-guided and self-directed learning among the residents.
  • 25% delivered through synchronous, video-teleconferencing platform that promotes interactivity among the residents.
  • Patient care conferences are conducted monthly among regions as interactive small group sessions.
• Lecture material provides instruction in all dental disciplines, including:
• Management of the oral health care needs of the pediatric, geriatric, medically compromised, and special needs patient.
• The newest information in implant dentistry and experience restoring and/or placing implants
• Current concepts in esthetic dentistry, pain control and sedation, orthodontics, preventive dentistry, endodontics, anesthesia, periodontics, prosthodontics, hard and soft tissue surgery, and the management of medical emergencies and dental/oral trauma in the dental practice
• The principles of dental practice management and practice administration in daily practice including the principles of the psychodynamics of dental care, managing decisions and choices of care, quality management, and ethics & professionalism.
• Evidence-based dentistry and application towards clinical practice.
• Diagnosis and treatment planning.
• Critical evaluation of the literature.

Second-year residents participate in coursework related to research, public health and evidence-based methodologies. These residents will ultimately develop a public health project that is publishable and presentable in journals and dental and/or public health related venues.

Clinical Training Sites

The AEGD Program has received national recognition for developing a unique and innovative concept in the training of dental residents. Residents are placed in primary care facilities, for example, community health centers in comparison to the traditional hospital or dental school-based setting. All clinical training sites affiliated with the program for resident training are CODA approved clinical training sites.  The program’s objective is to have residents practice comprehensive general dentistry in multi-specialty, interdisciplinary group practice. The overall goal is to prepare the residents to become super-generalists while facilitating the transition from education to career, as well as have them participate in a public health initiative towards improving access to oral health care services for underserved populations.

Applicants can visit the American Dental Association’s (ADA) website for the program’s accreditation status:

*The ADA website will only list the sponsoring institution’s (NYU Langone Dental Medicine) accreditation status and not the status of the program’s individual clinical training sites.  All clinical training sites are “approved clinical training sites” of the program and meet with CODA standards.

The AEGD program network is structured into four zones: northeast, southeast, west-central and west. Each zone is comprised of regions. The regions are comprised of groups of clinical training sites. To ensure that residents receive superior advanced educational and clinical experience, all NYU Langone Dental Medicine affiliated clinical training sites are critically evaluated by our Vice President of Dental Education, Vice President of the AEGD program and the AEGD Administrative team. Program administration conducts ongoing assessment of the clinical training sites to assess the facility, equipment, materials, resources, and faculty and support staff credentials to verify that the training sites meet the program’s requirements and CODA standards. All sites meet the program’s requirements and CODA standards and are typically modern state-of-the-art facilities.  General dentists comprise the majority of the clinical teaching staff and many sites have a variety of specialists on staff.  Faculty to resident ratio exceeds 1:1. There are a minimum of 2 and up to 15 AEGD residents training per site.

Clinical training sites are calibrated to the program’s requirements and CODA standards.  However, each clinical training site is unique regarding the additional resources they provide to the program to supplement and enhance upon the core clinical curriculum and experiences ultimately provided to the residents that includes: patient demographics, faculty and staff, specialized services, rotations and/or supplemental experiences and public health initiatives. 

Admissions and Application

PGY-1 Level:

Program Requirements:

Graduation from an accredited U.S. or Canadian Dental School. DDS/DMD required

NY State Applicants Only-
Graduates with an international dental degree AND a U.S. or Canadian DDS/DMD degree:
For applicants who have earned BOTH a dental degree from a non-US or Canadian school, AND a US or Canadian DDS/DMD program, your education must be approved by the NY State Department of Education for your application to be considered. To receive approval, candidates must complete and submit an Education Record Form (ERF) to the program and to the NY State Department of Education. The document can be accessed through the website: www.op.nysed.gov 

Immigration Sponsorship:

Program participants must provide documentation of identity and U.S. work authorization valid for the duration of the program, as per Form I-9 requirements; failure to provide documentation of U.S. work authorization for the duration of the program will result in termination from the program and the participant will not be issued a completion certificate. Persons with an Employment Authorization Document (EAD card), including F-1 students in a period of Optional Practical Training (OPT), are advised to ensure they can independently secure U.S. work authorization valid for the duration of their program. 

H-1B sponsorship is not provided for this program. Due to the provision in NAFTA for TN status for the occupation of Dentist, TN sponsorship is provided for eligible program participants.

PASS:
All applicants are required to submit their applications to the program through PASS. Candidates should check the PASS website at www.adea.org/PASSapp for more information about application requirements and deadlines.

For most regions, program deadline is December 1.
All program regions have their own PASS ID number.  Candidates can apply to as many regions as they desire.

Required Application Documents:

NBDE: The program accepts NBDE exam results, however the examination is not required for application to the program.
INBDE: The program accepts INBDE exam results, however the examination is not required for application to the program.

Recommendation Letters/Personal Evaluation Forms (PEFS): The program requires a minimum of 3 recommendation letters/PEFS from CLINICAL FACULTY; faculty who have observed, evaluated, and worked directly with you during patient care.

Dean's Letter of Recommendation

Dental School Diploma: Notarized copy must be included in the application only from those applicants who have already graduated from dental school at the time of application to the program.

CV: Must include the following information

• Address
• Phone Number
• Email
• Attendance at all academic institutions with start and end dates
• For graduates only- list all activites from dental school graduation to current time of application

Dental school transcript

Personal statement

State Dental License Eligibility:
If a region requires a state dental license or permit to practice dentistry within the scope of the program, applicants must be license eligible.  Please refer to the table below regarding individual state dental board requirements for licensure.

MATCH:
All applicants are required to register for a MATCH ID number.
All program regions have their own MATCH ID number.
For more information about the MATCH process, rank order submission deadline and release of MATCH results, please visit the website: www.natmatch.com/dentres.

POST- MATCH:
The program will accept applications after the MATCH results are released and if positions are available. You can apply using the PASS application until it closes in early February. You can also apply using our free post-match application.

PGY-2 Level:
Application requirements for the optional PGY-2 level are the same as for the PGY-1 level including: evidence of completion of a PGY-1 level CODA accredited AEGD or GPR program.

Dental Residency State Licensure Requirements