About the Program
The focus of the periodontics program educates graduate students in clinical periodontics and relevant basic sciences as well as principles of scientific investigation. This three-year graduate program leads to a Master of Science degree in Periodontics and provides a variety of clinical, didactic and research experiences. As a student at OU, you will get hands-on clinical experience interacting with a vast number of patients requiring different periodontal care. Graduate students will also get the chance to interact with other residents and graduate students in the College of Dentistry and on the Health Sciences Center campus by assisting in the education of the pre-doctoral students.
The OU College of Dentistry's Graduate Periodontics program provides a variety of clinical, didactic and research experiences. The clinical experiences available are broad and based upon a large number of patients requiring periodontal care, such as the replacement of missing teeth by placement of dental implants.
Career Opportunities
Graduates of the Advanced Education in Periodontics program are prepared to enter careers in clinical practice, teaching and research and are eligible to take the American Board of Periodontology certification examination.
Cost
It is the student’s responsibility to ensure they are enrolled in the prescribed courses and to pay tuition and fees at the time designated by the Bursar's Office. Details regarding tuition/fee charges and collection are available from the Bursar's Office.
Master of Science Degree Requirements
The curriculum of the program is designed to meet the formal educational requirements for eligibility to take the certification examination of the American Board of Periodontology. The program has an emphasis on advanced level academic courses, clinical patient care, and research. In addition to the biological, medical and dental courses, a significant emphasis is placed on clinical patient care, including evidence-based approaches to diagnosis and treatment planning, a variety of treatment modalities, and maintenance therapy for complex periodontal cases. The clinical and research experience in this graduate program is advanced and sophisticated in nature to qualify the graduate student to perform complicated procedures that are beyond the scope of general practitioners. In addition to completing all course work, successful completion of the program requires a research-based thesis in order to receive the Master of Science degree.
Program Structure
The program provides a variety of clinical, didactic and research experiences. The clinical experiences available are broad and based upon a large number of patients requiring periodontal care, such as the replacement of missing teeth by placement of dental implants.
Graduate students will interact with other residents and graduate students in the College of Dentistry and OUHSC. Periodontal graduate students will assist in the education of the pre-doctoral students not exceeding the time requirements in the program.
Key Information About the Program:
- The start date for the three-year program is July 1 of each year.
- Two graduate students are chosen per year
- Total credits for completion of the program: 81
- Once accepted to the program, specific equipment and information will be given to the graduate student
- Applicants with clinical experience in general dentistry after dental school graduation are highly desirable for the program
Research
Graduate students of the periodontal program are expected to be leaders in the field of periodontics. With that being said, an original research project dissertation and thesis defense are required for completion of the master's program.
Graduate Periodontics Application Process
The Graduate Periodontics Program will participate in the Phase I of the Match during the Fall 2023 application cycle (for students who will start the residency in July 2024). Applicants must register with the Match program. The Match and ADEA PASS share a registration portal for applicants, which will open mid-May. Applicants will be charged for the Match registration fee at that time. For more information, you can visit the Match website.
Interviews for the Program will be held in August & September of 2023. Applicants and programs will submit rank order lists to the Match in late October to early November. Final results of the Match are released to applicants and programs in late November. See the Match website for further details.
Step 1: ADEA PASS
Upload the following to ADEA PASS:
- Official Transcripts uploaded to ADEA PASS (all colleges, dental school).
- If you have attended a non-U.S. college/university, it is required that all international transcripts be evaluated by WES or ECE foreign credentialing services. Official college and dental school transcripts must be evaluated through World Education Services--Foreign Academic Credential Evaluation (WES) or Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE). The Office of Admissions and Records will accept both WES and ECE credential evaluation from International Applicants. For more information, you can visit the WES and ECE websites.
- The Program will not consider applicants with a GPA below 3.0
- Three Letters of Recommendation (Professional Evaluation Forms) uploaded to ADEA PASS.
- Dean's Letter (Institution Evaluation Form) submitted by the Dean's Office to ADEA PASS.
- This letter/form will include GPA, Class Rank and National Board Examination Scores
- Curriculum-vitae uploaded to ADEA PASS.
- Personal Motivation Statement (Essay) uploaded to ADEA PASS.
Step 2: Graduate College Application
Submit the Application for Admission form and fee of $75 to the Graduate College online.
Step 3: Send Test Scores
Send a scanned copy of the following to gradperioadmissions@ouhsc.edu at the Program Office:
- NBDE score (if applicable)
- TOEFL score (if applicable)
- A minimum TOEFL iBT test score of 95 is required.
- ADAT scores (if applicable)
Program Objectives
The Master of Science in Periodontics is a three-year program, fully accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). The overall objective of the program is to graduate expert periodontists with a strong background of comprehensive clinical experience, current basic science knowledge relevant to dentistry and periodontics, and knowledge and experience of research methodology. Graduates of the program are well equipped for successful careers in clinical practice, dental education, and research. Successful completion of the 36-month program leads to the Master of Science degree awarded by the OUHSC Graduate College.
