University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry

Program Description

The program is university-based/hospital-affiliated and fulfills the requirements for advanced education in pediatric dentistry as approved by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation. Upon completion, graduates are eligible to pursue board certification through the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry (ABPD). Graduates have a track record of strong performance on the written and oral ABPD examinations. The program had a CODA site visit in Fall 2021.

The program provides a rich and diversified educational experience that emphasizes comprehensive oral health care for healthy and medically complex infants, children and adolescents. Its renovated, state-of-the-art graduate clinic with 20 operatories (8 of which are private rooms), attends to a large and diverse population of the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois. Each operatory is equipped with nitrous oxide, digital radiography, a video monitor and a computer. There is an optimal ratio of dental assistants to residents. Residents graduate with significant experience providing care using different modalities of behavior management, including nitrous oxide, moderate sedation (oral and intranasal) and general anesthesia.

The department has a diverse and rich clinical faculty that includes 9 full-time and additional part-time clinical faculty members who are pediatric dentists. In addition to that, our faculty includes individuals from behavioral sciences, orthodontics, and public health. Physicians and dental specialists from other departments also contribute to teaching in the program in an interdisciplinary format. Our Department also has a full-time social worker, two part-time social work interns, a recovery room nurse, a part-time nurse practitioner, and a team of anesthesiologists who provide care in our own two operating rooms. 

The program emphasizes public health and provision of care for the underserved. 

Curriculum

The program is designed to fully prepare the resident for clinical practice, as well as to provide educational opportunities for those who desire to pursue a teaching, public health or research career in pediatric dentistry.

Learning modalities include didactic courses, seminars, continuing education courses, and clinical experiences. The curriculum includes, among others: behavior management, child development and psychology, pulp therapy, orthodontics/growth & development, oral care for special health care needs patients/hospital dentistry, dental traumatology, biostatistics, epidemiology and research methods, dental radiology, pediatric oral pathology, dental materials, cariology/microbiology, infant oral health and prevention, advocacy, practice management, inherited and acquired dental anomalies, and principles of sedation and general anesthesia. The program offers a specially-designed seminar on leadership development and advocacy for residents. Additional topics are covered in rounds, journal club, and in a seminar format. Many biomedical topics are covered in the MS in Oral Sciences Core Curriculum, which are completed with residents in other specialties.

Clinical experiences primarily occur in the pediatric dentistry graduate clinic at the UIC College of Dentistry. Our facilities offer collaboration and consultation with professionals from other departments within the College of Dentistry and other health sciences. Dental care under general anesthesia, after-hours emergency dental care, and rotations in pediatric and subspeciality medical clinics (Cardiology, Hematology/Oncology, General Pediatrics, Anesthesiology, Emergency Medicine, Craniofacial clinic, etc.) take place at the University of Illinois Hospital which is conveniently located adjacent to the College of Dentistry. In September 2020, we opened our Pediatric Dentistry Outpatient Care Center, with two operating rooms where we do 3 cases in each room every day of the week. Our busy undergraduate pediatric dental clinic provides an excellent venue for both clinical and lab teaching of dental students. Residents receive clinical and didactic orthodontic experiences in the Mixed Dentition Clinic, which is coordinated in collaboration with the Department of Orthodontics.

Second-year residents receive additional community-based experiences through rotations in community-based health clinics.

Program Stipend and Tuition

The program awards graduates with a Certificate in the Specialty of Pediatric Dentistry. Graduate Medical Education (GME) residents receive a competitive stipend for the duration of the certificate program. For 2025-2026, the first-year stipend is $71,820, the second-year stipend is $74,337 plus health coverage and fringe benefits. Each July, there may be a small increase to the stipend. There are no tuition fees for enrollment in the Certificate program. Note that eligibility for a GME stipend is determined by GME policies and not by the residency program.

A Master of Science in Oral Sciences degree is required and is integrated in the 24-months. Tuition for the Master's program is waived. Up to $5,250 of tuition per year is non-taxable.

Accepted residents must plan to be in Chicago by mid-June for mandatory GME, College of Dentistry, and Program orientation prior to the program start.

Facilities

• University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry Pediatric Dentistry Clinics and Outpatient Care Center
• University of Illinois Hospital and Health Science System
• Community partner clinics

Undergraduate transcripts, dental school transcripts, and examination scores should not be submitted directly to the program but should be uploaded with the PASS application. A dental school GPA of 3.3 or higher is preferred to receive fullest consideration.

The ADAT is not required of applicants, but applicants may submit scores for evaluation with the application. Applicants may include other standardized test scores, such as the DAT or GRE, on their CV to be evaluated with their application.

We try to ensure that the AAPD website, PASS Website, and UIC College of Dentistry website are consistent and up-to-date. We ask that you review these resources prior to contacting the department.

Applications will be reviewed as they become complete. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit required materials before the application deadline. Applications will not be accepted after the deadline.