Dental General Practice Residency

Residents spend 10 months at our hospital dentistry clinic, where they provide a full range of treatment for ambulatory patients. Opportunities exist for providing comprehensive dental care, including oral surgery, fixed and removable prosthodontics, implant placement and restoration, rotary endodontic therapy, periodontal therapy, restorative dentistry and sedation cases. Additionally, residents gain extensive experience in evaluating and treating hospital referrals from Cardiology, Orthopaedics, Radiation Oncology and the Emergency Department (ED).  

Residents spend two weeks at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital and Carilion Roanoke Community Hospital, actively participating in the care of surgery patients with the Department of Anesthesia. During their rotation, they gain experience in physical evaluation of the pre-anesthesia patient, starting and maintaining intravenous lines, oral and nasal intubation, monitoring vital signs, maintaining optimal airways and patient recovery. 

The one-week Family Medicine rotation will provide a structured, supervised and practical shadowing experience in which dental residents learn about the health care interface between medicine and dentistry and establish a core of knowledge fundamental to that interaction.  

During their rotation, dental resident experiences will include: 

• Obtaining and interpreting the patient’s chief complaint, medical and social history and review of systems 
• Obtaining and interpreting clinical and other diagnostic data from other health care providers 
• Utilizing the services of clinical, medical and pathology laboratories and other techniques in the diagnosis of oral and systemic diseases 
• Performing a history and physical evaluation and collection of other data in order to establish a medical assessment 
• Understanding the relationship between oral health care and systemic diseases 
• Interpreting the physical evaluation performed by a physician with an understanding of how it impacts proposed dental treatment 

The one-week Emergency Medicine rotation will provide a structured, supervised clinical experience in which dental residents learn about the health care interface between medicine and dentistry and establish a core of knowledge fundamental to that interaction. During their rotation, they will: 

• Understand triage, diagnosis and patient management in the ED 
• Demonstrate competency in history and physical assessment skills 
• Understand the interdisciplinary interactions of physicians, advanced clinical providers and nurses in the ED 
• Understand the basic laboratory tests and protocols 
• Gain a working knowledge of analgesics, antibiotics and cardiovascular and respiratory medications 
• Understand and be prepared to practice skills learned in ACLS and participate in a medical emergency code 

The one-week Radiation Oncology rotation will provide an observational educational experience in patient management in a radiation oncology care facility. Residents will be assigned to Blue Ridge Cancer Care for three days: two full days and two half days. During their rotation, residents will: 

• Obtain a basic level of knowledge of the physics used in developing radiation treatment plans and their methodologies 
• Understand the methods of cancer treatment that use radiation including the variety of sources, energies and treatment delivery arrangements 
• Be able to discuss the steps involved in the delivery of radiation treatment to a head and neck cancer patient 
• Gain a working understanding of the principles and practices of the application of ionizing radiation in the management of oncologic disease 
• Establish and understand the collaborative team approach to the management of cancer patients and dental treatment implications 

The one-month Pediatric Dental rotation provides an opportunity for the residents to work one-on-one with a pediatric dentist to perform comprehensive and emergency treatment for children. Specific attention focuses on prevention of oral disease in the child and adolescent; management of early childhood caries; and treatment of pre-cooperative patients using behavioral management, inhalation analgesia or general anesthesia.