General Practice Residency Program

Applicants may view the Adams School of Dentistry policies using the links below including, but not limited to, Bloodborne Pathogens and Infectious Disease.

The General Practice Residency Certificate program at the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry does not charge students for tuition and fees.

Malpractice insurance premiums for all residents are paid by dental school resources. Health insurance options are available through UNC Hospitals Graduate Medical Education Department.

Residents receive a small amount of “my QuickCharge” meal funds related to on-call service at UNC Medical Center.

Residents in 2024-2025 year received the UNC Medical Center annual incentive payment.

Fifteen work days of paid time off are included each year.

Residents will gain confidence in treating a wide variety of patients through actually caring for them under the guidance of a diverse and well-qualified faculty.

Using a curriculum of block rotations, the clinical program provides experiences in clinical dentistry, working in dental teams conducting four-handed dentistry, managing cases in operating rooms, participating in interdisciplinary care teams and providing safe care for ambulatory medically-complex dental patients. In the first year, 4-5 months are spent at the Durham VA Medical Center where the medicine rotation is completed and 7-8 months are spent at UNC sites including with the OMFS team, Special Care Dentistry faculty in a dental school outpatient and hospital inpatient clinic and the operating room, and the Anesthesiology rotation.

The didactic curriculum is composed of a series of seminars and lectures by faculty experts from the dental and medical schools, and resident literature reviews.

The program provides residents with:

• Graduated responsibility in order to develop increased efficiency in dental practice
• Experience in the care of medically complex patients throughout a complete care “episode”
• Education in efforts to provide a safe and positive patient experience in the practice
• Exposure to the operations of a hospital dental practice with complex patients, many of whom have urgent needs
• Experience using dental information technology

Residents serve as Chief Resident during the second year of the program and participate in program administration and clinical instruction. Residents also provide after-hours and weekend emergency dental coverage for UNC Health, averaging one out of every five days on call taken from home.

This program emphasizes the treatment of the patient with complex medical and social needs. It is designed to offer a well-rounded experience in the care of many of these patients, along with exposure to care delivery methods in multiple treatment sites including the academic medical center and Veterans Administration medical center. Didactic and clinical sessions are chosen to meet the overall program goals and objectives with each affiliate site having something unique to offer. It is hoped that providing a variety of clinical and didactic experiences will allow for maximum resident experience and growth.

First year curriculum Goals and Objectives:

Goal 1. To develop a clinically competent generalist, capable of providing comprehensive care to various patient populations in or outside of the hospital environment.

• 1.1 To gain additional experience in providing comprehensive dental care to a variety of populations.
• 1.2 To develop additional diagnostic and clinical dental skills in prevention, periodontal, restorative dentistry, endodontics, prosthodontics, and oral surgery.

Goal 2. To provide resident educational experiences in comprehensive health care, primary care, emergency care, and operating room care along with providing community service.

• 2.1 To provide dental treatment in a variety of settings such as a hospital inpatient floors, various dental clinics, operating room, and emergency room.
• 2.2 To gain experience in providing general dental treatment to medically complex patients, with the awareness of medical-dental connections and appropriate risk assessment.
• 2.3 To gain exposure to the use of anxiolytic agents and techniques used in general dentistry.
• 2.4 To increase knowledge and skills in the prevention and management of medical emergencies during dental treatment.

Goal 3. To allow the residents to interact with an interdisciplinary health care team and with other professionals and support personnel in a variety of care delivery situations.

• 3.1. To work together and communicate with other health professionals involved in the care of patients so as to be a contributing member of a multi-specialty healthcare team.

Second year curriculum Goal and Objectives:

       Goal 1. To provide the opportunity for professional development as a clinician, teacher, and/or administrator.        

• 1.1 To develop leadership skills.
• 1.2 To gain experience in clinical teaching and residency program administration.
• 1.3 To expand the knowledge base and experience in General and Hospital-based Dentistry beyond the level achieved in the first year through additional patient care delivery and elective rotations.