Program Goals and Objectives
The General Practice Residency (GPR) Program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine, in partnership with UPMC, is designed to provide advanced education in comprehensive oral health care beyond the predoctoral level. The program prepares residents to function as competent general dentists and primary oral health care providers, capable of delivering patient-centered, multidisciplinary care in both ambulatory and hospital-based settings.
Program Goals and Competency Development
Through a structured curriculum integrating didactic education, comprehensive clinical care, and hospital-based rotations, residents develop progressive competence in the following core areas:
General Dentistry and Comprehensive Care
Serve as the patient’s primary oral health care provider
Independently evaluate, diagnose, and treat routine and emergency patients
Coordinate comprehensive treatment planning, sequencing, and long-term maintenance
Integrate prevention, patient education, and informed consent into care delivery
Assessment, Diagnosis, and Multidisciplinary Treatment Planning
Perform comprehensive diagnostic and medical risk assessments
Develop evidence-based, multidisciplinary treatment plans
Modify care based on systemic disease, cognitive status, behavioral factors, and special needs health care
Appropriately consult, refer, and co-manage patients with medical and dental specialists
Management of Patient-Focused Oral Health Care
Manage continuity of care through longitudinal patient panels
Deliver restorative, periodontal, endodontic, prosthodontic, surgical, implant, and emergency dental care
Demonstrate effective communication, documentation, and professional responsibility
Hospital-Based Oral Health Care
Provide oral health care within a hospital environment
Manage medically complex and special needs patients
Function effectively within interdisciplinary health care teams
Recognize, prevent, and manage medical emergencies consistent with hospital protocols
Community Service and Access to Care
Deliver care to diverse and underserved populations
Address social, behavioral, and systemic factors affecting oral health
Demonstrate ethical, patient-centered, and equitable care practices
Required Curriculum Areas
Residents achieve these goals through required curriculum areas that include, but are not limited to:
Comprehensive general dentistry and continuity care
Management of dental and medical emergencies
Pain and anxiety control utilizing behavioral and pharmacologic techniques
Oral and maxillofacial surgery
Dental implant evaluation, restoration, and maintenance
Oral mucosal disease, orofacial pain, and temporomandibular disorders
Operative dentistry, prosthodontics, periodontal therapy, and endodontic therapy
Care of patients with special needs and medically complex conditions
Residents’ competence is assessed through faculty evaluation, rotation assessments, case presentations, emergency performance evaluations, and formal competency examinations throughout the program.
The successful completion of these educational experiences prepares graduates for independent general dental practice, advanced clinical responsibility, and the delivery of safe, ethical, and comprehensive oral health care across diverse clinical and hospital settings.