Advanced Education Program in Pediatric Dentistry

Program Description:

The advanced education program in pediatric dentistry is designed to prepare residents for a practice limited to the care of children and adolescents. Completion of the curriculum leads to the award of a certificate in pediatric dentistry.

Clinical pediatric dentistry is emphasized; however, this clinical experience is balanced with a didactic curriculum of multidisciplinary courses and seminars. There is also a research component to the program designed to expose residents to problem solving using the scientific method. The program requires a minimum of 24 months in residence and begins on July 1st each year to fulfill the requirements of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry.

Two Master's Degree Tracks Now Available:

Loma Linda University School of Dentistry now offers two master's degree tracks for graduate students/residents in the advanced education certificate programs.

Master of Science (MS) degree track:
The Master of Science (MS) degree track can be invaluable to students who wish to pursue an academic career in clinical dentistry, research, and teaching.  The didactic and clinical components of the certificate program fulfill the academic requirements for the MS degree.  Candidates admitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) must conduct research, write a thesis, and hold a public thesis defense.  Students have five years from the date of acceptance to FGS to complete the requirements for the MS degree.  This degree option is available for all advanced programs except Dental Anesthesiology.

Applications to the FGS should be submitted through the Office of Advanced Dental Education and must be supported by the applicant's program director.  Satisfactory completion of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required for FGS admission.  Interested individuals should consult the admissions criteria for the advanced education program to which they are applying for more detailed information.

Master of Science in Dentistry (MSD) degree track:
Graduate students/residents may elect to apply for the Master of Science in Dentistry (MSD) degree track from all the advanced education programs except Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics where the MS degree is a program requirement.

The MSD degree track is intended to provide individuals with an advanced degree widely recognized as having completed a dental specialty program.  Applicants must be recommended for admission to this degree track and subsequently approved by the Associate Dean for Advanced Dental Education.  The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is not required for admission to the MSD track.  The MSD degree is awarded upon successful completion of the certificate program and requires the submission of an acceptable publishable paper in the format of a journal chosen by the program director.  The publishable paper must be submitted either during the program or within one year from the program completion date.  A public presentation of the research, much like a thesis defense, is also required.

Graduates of the certificate, MS degree program, and MSD degree program are educationally qualified to pursue certification by the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry.

Application and Admission Process:

Postdoctoral Application Support Service (PASS) - The advanced education in pediatric dentistry program participates in the PASS application service of the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) allowing applicants to apply to multiple participating institutions using one standardized format. http://www.adea.org/pass

The Postdoctoral Dental Matching Program (Match) - Loma Linda University also participates in the Match program to help to identify and "match" the preferences of applicants and the advanced education program in pediatric dentistry using rank order list of the applicants and the program. Applicants matched with our program are asked to complete an additional online application through the School of Dentistry. http://www.natmatch.com/dentres

Application deadline - Applications for admission must be submitted by October 2nd of the year prior to the summer of intended enrollment.

Invitation to interview - All complete applications from PASS that meet the minimum admissions requirements are reviewed (refer to Admissions Requirements below). The top candidates are invited for an interview by a selection committee composed of department faculty and outside faculty/administrators and chaired by the program director.

Admissions decisions - The program director presents the rank order for admission for discussion and approval by the graduate admissions committee at the end of the winter quarter. That rank order is then submitted to the Match Program. Applicants will receive the results of the "Match" directly from the Match Program.

Electronic application submission - The application process must be completed online and only applications with all the required supporting documents will be reviewed for admission. Online Application

Acceptance - Candidates offered acceptance are required to submit a nonrefundable deposit check of $1,000 to hold a place in the entering class. These funds will be applied towards tuition and fees for the first quarter of study.

Background check - Accepted students must complete a background check in order to register and begin the program. Additional information on this process can be found in the University Catalog. http://ssweb.llu.edu/backgroundcheck

Admissions Requirements:

The following information and documentation are required for all applications:

See admissions criteria.

1. Transcript(s) - Only official transcript(s) will be accepted. Applicants who have transcripts from non-US and non-Canadian dental schools must submit a translated course-by-course Transcript Report from one of the following agencies:
   • Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc (ECE)
     (414) 289-3400 (www.ece.org)
   • American Association of Collegiate Registrars And Admissions Officers (AACRAO)
     (202) 293-9161 (www.aacrao.org)
   • World Education Services (WES) (212) 966-6311 (www.wes.org)
   • See International Transcript Information
     
     
2. GPA and Class Rank - A cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher.  Applicants should request the dean of their dental school to provide a letter with their official GPA and class rank.
   
   
3. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) - Satisfactory completion of the GRE is required by the Faculty of Graduate Studies for admission to the master of science degree track. The sum of the GRE verbal and quantitative scores must equal or exceed the sum of scores that correspond to the 50th percentile for each of those sections. Furthermore, neither the verbal nor quantitative score may be lower than the score corresponding to the 35th percentile for that section. In addition, only GRE test scores within the past five years will be accepted.
   
   The GRE Writing Assessment score must equal or exceed 4.0. Applicants with scores lower than 4.0 must satisfactorily complete the Loma Linda University Critical Essay or the university course in English Writing as specified by the associate dean for Advanced Dental Education.
   
   
4. National Dental Board examinations - Successful completion of the National Dental Board Part I and Part II (if available) is required.
   
   
5. Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) - Foreign applicants, whose first language is not English, must demonstrate proficiency in the English language as evidenced by minimum TOEFL scores of:
   • 550 - paper-based test
   • 213 - computer-based test
   • 80 - Internet-based test with a minimum of 18 on each section: reading, listening, speaking, and writing.
     
     
6. Letters of recommendation - Three letters of recommendation from individuals who have known and worked closely with the candidate are required in support of an application. These letters are submitted through PASS on the required PASS recommendation forms.

Important Instructions for the Transmittal of Official Documents:

All official documents must be mailed from the issuing institutions.  Applicants must not mail originals or official copies of transcripts, GRE scores, National Dental Board scores, and TOEFL scores themselves.

An application is not considered complete until all required supporting documents have been received.  Only completed applications go to committee for consideration.  This policy holds true for and non-U.S. applicants.  So please apply early.

Tuition and Fees:

Tuition for the 2007-2008 academic year is $9,676 per quarter. Health insurance is $360 per quarter and the student services fees are $110 per quarter. The information technology (IT) support fee is $165 per quarter. These fees do not include instruments and textbooks that may be required.

Departmental Required Courses:

Interdisciplinary Required Courses:

Curriculum by Academic Year:

1st Year

2nd Year

Oral Exams

Graduation

Study may extend beyond 24 months for those pursuing a master of science (MS) degree.

• Dentistry home
• Pediatrics home
• Mission
• Faculty & staff
• Residency
• Patient info
• Alumni news
• Links
• Back

Check out our new online digital viewbook to learn more about the "LLU Experience."

<READ MORE>