General Practice Residency

A General Practice Residency (GPR) is a one or two year hospital based postgraduate training program for dentists seeking additional education in all aspects of general dentistry or improving his dental/surgical skill level prior to entering private practice. In the hospital setting, residents are exposed to a wide range of medically compromised patients needing dental care. The program emphasizes how oral health affects overall medical well being. The resident also becomes proficient at managing comprehensive dental treatment plans and adjusting them based on the patient's medical condition. During training, residents are faced with the task of managing patients that require dentistry in a hospital setting due to a compromised medical condition. Medical management of dental patients is emphasized in weekly grand rounds and rotations through anesthesia, internal medicine, and the emergency department. Some programs also provide rotations in family medicine and otolarnyology. These rotations not only increase the dental resident's knowledge, but also allow physicians, resident or attending, to see how both dentistry and medicine are related allowing for a better referral relationship in future practices. This relationship is best demonstrated in tumor boards where both medical and dental residents discuss and treatment plan head and neck cancer patients. Residents take call, answer consults, and manage head and neck trauma in accordance with hospital guidelines. The resident will become familiar with performing dental/oral surgical procedures in the operating room and managing the patient's stay while in the hospital. Rotation through the dental specialties increases the resident's ability to handle situations in private practice without referral to a specialist if one is not available. Skills learned in dental school are improved significantly preparing the dentist for a career in private practice or prepping him for a specialty residency program. General practice residents work closely with maxillofacial surgeons allowing them to improve their skill in oral surgical procedures. Under the direct supervision of maxillofacial surgeons, residents expand their understanding of and increase their skill in third molar extraction, biopsy technique, pathology recognition, and treatment planning in facial cosmetic and trauma surgery. They are exposed to the full scope of maxillofacial surgery and will be able to refer cases to the surgeon in future endeavours.