The UAMS General Practice Residency (GPR) Program is a postdoctoral educational program designed to provide essential skills, attitudes, and abilities related to the contemporary practice of advanced general dentistry, with emphasis on total patient-centered care. The program provides the recent graduate the opportunity to augment his/her knowledge of oral disease and his/her diagnostic and therapeutic skills in dentistry. Treatment of oral disease in medically complex patient and/or hospitalized patient is emphasized. A private practice environment is maintained throughout the program to assist the recent dental school graduate in the transition from academics to “real-world dentistry.”
The UAMS General Practice Residency (GPR) program is a full-time program with up to six total resident positions. The first year consists of 12 months of advanced dental education (a maximum of 2080 clinic hours) running from mid-June through June 30 of the following year. At the successful completion of the GPR program, each resident will receive a Certificate of Completion. An optional second year is available for residents wishing to pursue additional hospital and operating room based dental training.
Residents spend 10 months of the year at the UAMS Oral Health Clinic where they provide hands-on treatment to ambulatory and hospitalized patients. A private practice environment is maintained throughout the program to assist the recent dental school graduate in the transition from academics to “real world dentistry”. Emphasis is placed on providing comprehensive dental care including fixed and removable prosthodontics, implant placement and restoration, endodontic therapy, periodontal therapy, oral surgery, and advanced esthetic operative techniques.
Residents gain extensive experience in evaluating medically compromised patients and providing dental consultations for various hospital services. Residents will also become well versed in providing dental clearance for medically necessary procedures including head and neck radiation, joint replacement, solid organ transplant, and stem cell transplant. Residents rotate at UAMS in Emergency Medicine, Otolaryngology and Anesthesia. Each resident also rotates at Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) for their Pediatric and Special Needs Dentistry and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery rotations. Over the course of the year, residents also serve at the UAMS 12th Street Health and Wellness Center and at the Harmony Health Clinic to focus on community dentistry.
An optional second year is also available to residents who wish to receive additional training in sedation, implantology, simple orthodontics, and other advanced training tailored to the resident’s interests. This second year will focus heavily on providing care to patients in an operating room. Roughly forty percent of the resident’s time will be spent at ACH and the remainder will be in the UAMS Oral Health Clinic.
Dental Residency Program
Watch “A Day in the Life”, a video created by one of our Dental Residents
