The University of Mississippi Medical Center

The postdoctoral specialty program in pediatric dentistry is designed to offer a balanced clinical and didactic curriculum in advanced infant, child and adolescent dental care as well as care of persons with special health care needs. Sponsored by the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi; the residency program is primarily based at the University of Mississippi Medical Center's Children's Hospital. A certificate of specialty education in Pediatric Dentistry is awarded upon successful completion of the program which qualifies the resident for examination by the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. This program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Education of the American Dental Association.

The program strives to provide a full range of didactic/clinical experiences in pediatric dental care which are supported by an evidenced based analysis of the specialty's knowledge base. The resident is assured of extensive clinical opportunities in behavior management, minimal/moderate sedation, hospital dentistry and general anesthesia, pediatric medicine, care of developmentally and medically compromised children, trauma management, growth and development and orthodontic diagnosis and biomechanics, craniofacial anomalies, and other special areas of pediatric dental care. Additional instruction is provided in oral biology, oral pathology, anatomy, pediatric advanced life support, biostatistics, pediatrics, physical diagnosis, and practice management. Residents also participate in seminars on treatment planning, comprehensive care, diagnosis and treatment of developing occlusions, research design and pediatric dentistry literature review. The clinical curriculum provides for a diverse experience, which includes: comprehensive preventive and restorative care, hospital-based dental care in an operating room setting, sedation and monitoring in the office setting, treatment of patients with orofacial anomalies, diagnosis and treatment of malocclusions and emergency dental care. Consultation and dental care is also provided to patients referred from all Pediatric Subspecialty Clinical Areas of Children's of Mississippi including but not limited to Pediatric Cardiology, Hematology/Oncology, Neurology, Infectious Disease, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, etc. The residents participate in rotations in anesthesiology, pediatric medicine, pediatric emergency medicine and sedation. A research project is required, as well as a commitment to clinical teaching in the pre-doctoral program. The clinical experiences are supported by a structured didactic curriculum in the form of lectures, journal clubs, symposia, seminars, and laboratory exercises designed to encourage critical thinking at the specialty level of education in pediatric dentistry. The overall curriculum goal is to prepare our graduates with the knowledge base and clinical skills to enter the practice of pediatric dentistry as well as prepare for future professional growth. 

The residency program operates from July 1 through June 30th of each year. There are no fixed quarters or semesters as such; but the program will generally follow the academic calendar of the the University of Mississippi Medical Center. The residency program should be considered a seven day a week, 24 hour a day commitment. The formal schedule for residents in the Department will be from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, however residents will participate in an after-hour call schedule to provide emergency treatment in the pediatric emergency room. Open time available in the daily schedule is used for laboratory work, patient records preparation, research endeavors or academic study. Because of the demands of clinical care and scheduling, some scheduled coursework may be required in the evening.