Residency Program Experience

Inpatient and outpatient care is provided through the 600 bed Ruby Memorial Hospital (WVU Hospital) located in Morgantown, WV. Ruby Memorial Hospital is a level one trauma center servicing northern West Virginia and the surrounding tri-state area.

In addition to clinical services rendered to inpatients, outpatients, and Dental Group Practice patients, selected patients from the School of Dentistry are assigned to augment the resident’s experience. The clinical phase of the program places emphasis on patient care in a variety of settings on both a comprehensive and emergency basis.

The competency and proficiency-based program encompasses and utilizes faculty and staff from all recognized dental specialties. The program consists of two alternating weekly clinical rotations. These rotations include, but are not limited to, daily rotations in:

Oral Surgery - providing student clinic coverage and learning advanced oral surgery techniques and procedures.

Hospital Dentistry - providing medically necessary dental care to medically, mentally, and pharmacologically compromised patients utilizing a variety of clinic settings and techniques, et al.

  • Oral conscious sedation
  • Intravenous conscious sedation
  • Providing comprehensive dental care in the operating room under general anesthesia via the Same Day Care Unit

Periodontics - reinforcing basic periodontal techniques and gaining exposure to the more advanced periodontal procedures, et al.

  • Full Mouth Gingivectomy of Dilantin-Induced Gingival Hyperplasia

Prosthodontics – reinforcing basic fixed and removable prosthodontic techniques and gaining exposure to more advanced prosthodontic procedures, et al.

  • Restoration of dental implants

Endodontics – reinforcing basic endodontic techniques while learning and experiencing new procedures,et al.

  • The crown down endodontic technique using rotary instrumentation

Dental Group Practice – reinforcing and experiencing basic techniques, and gaining exposure to new materials and procedures in the delivery of general dentistry to a wide variety of patients in a family group practice setting.

During the Oral Surgery / Hospital Dentistry rotation, daily rounds with the OMFS, and Hospital Dentistry faculty and residents enable the resident to become experienced in hospital protocol and clinical procedures. Actual operating room experience is gained by the provision of restorative, periodontal, and minor surgical services to hospital inpatients and Same Day Surgery patients. Observation and assistance in major oral surgery procedures is a part of the operating room experience.

The outpatient clinical rotation is spent providing dental care to hospital patients and those special needs patients assigned to the resident. Because of the special needs of the hospital patient, supportive dental care for the mentally and medically compromised patient is an important part of the resident’s experience, as well as, providing oral and maxillofacial surgery support to the emergency head and neck trauma patient of Ruby Memorial Hospital.

In the Dental Group Practice rotation, the resident provides comprehensive dental care using the TEAM concept of delivery. The clinic is physically located in the faculty practice area of the Dental School and the resident works in collaboration with the staff of the Dental Group Practice to provide care for all family members assigned to the Dental Group Practice Clinic. Advanced experience is gained in the fields of operative dentistry, prosthodontics, pedodontics, endodontics and periodontics.

Additional rotations consist of:

  1. A two week rotation on the Medicine Service at WVU Hospital. During this rotation, the resident is involved in the care, diagnosis and treatment of the medically compromised patient.
  2. A two week rotation on the Anesthesia Service at WVU Hospital. During this rotation, the resident learns airway management and assists in administration of general anesthesia to hospitalized patients, and attends all conferences and seminars conducted by the Anesthesia Service.
  3. Residents participate in monthly rotating “after hours” dental call providing emergency dental services to the patients of Ruby Memorial Hospital and WVU School of Dentistry.
  4. The didactic aspect of the program includes graduate courses in Advanced Oral Pathology, Advanced Oral Surgery; seminars in General Dentistry, Hospital Dentistry, and Physical Diagnosis; and Journal Club reviews. In addition, the resident attends selected continuing education courses appropriate to the program offered by the School of Dentistry.
  5. While one full-time faculty member from each clinical discipline is assigned the responsibility for consultation in his specialty field, all staff members are available for consultation and support. In the important area of patient responsibility, it is understood that the resident will perform comprehensive care consistent with his professional judgment.