Dentistry

NorthShore University HealthSystem's (NorthShore) General Practice Dental Residency Program offers an advanced clinical and didactic education. Designed to focus on the interests and goals of dental residents, our program provides an opportunity for residents to experience hands-on post-graduate studies in a hospital setting. Residents study at NorthShore's nationally recognized hospitals - Evanston, Glenbrook, Highland Park, and Skokie Hospitals.

The program in general practice residency is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (and has been granted the accreditation status of "approval without reporting requirements"). The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at 312.440.4653 or at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611.

Residents are a part of the NorthShore team and have access to the facilities and resources of this award-winning healthcare delivery system, including Hospital departments and staff. Read an overview of our Dental and Oral Healthcare Center services.

Mission Statement

To serve, assist, and educate patients and residents. In addition, residents will receive training beyond their pre-doctoral training.

Program Overview

The program is one year in length. Two residents are accepted each year with their residency beginning around July 1st. Orientation begins approximately mid-June. There is a stipend of approximately $61,800 per year. Medical and dental benefits are provided. The resident is allowed four weeks of vacation. Sick time is also allowed. Upon satisfactory completion of the GPR at NorthShore University HealthSystem, residents will receive a certificate from the University of Chicago.

The clinical part of the program is in the outpatient dental center at Evanston Hospital, in the operating rooms at Evanston, Glenbrook,  Highland Park and Skokie Hospitals as well as in the emergency room at Evanston, Glenbrook, Skokie, and Highland Park Hospitals. The outpatient Dental Center at Evanston Hospital is in operation 5 days per week. The didactic part of the program involves lectures and seminars given by dental and medical attendings on staff at NorthShore.

Overall Program Goals

Goal 1: Act as a primary oral health provider for individuals and groups of patients. This includes providing emergency and multidisciplinary comprehensive oral health care; providing patient-focused care that is coordinated by the general practitioner; directing health promotion and disease prevention activities; and using advanced dental treatment modalities.

• The residents achieve this goal by providing emergency care in the Emergency Department at NorthShore University HealthSystem – Evanston Hospital and occasionally at NorthShore’s, Glenbrook, Highland Park, and Skokie Hospitals Emergency Departments. The residents also provide care to inpatients within NorthShore as well as providing care to inpatients and outpatients in the Evanston Hospital Dental Center.
• The residents provide multidisciplinary comprehensive care in the Evanston Hospital Dental Center. Patients receive a full set of x-rays, panorex, and a comprehensive oral evaluation. At the treatment planning appointment, the residents discuss treatment plan options and disease prevention with the patient. They work with and refer to specialists as needed.
• Feedback from supervising dental attendings in the dental clinic, review of logbooks, chart reviews, and American Association of Hospital Dentists outcomes assessment exams will be used in the evaluation of this goal.

Goal 2: Plan and provide multidisciplinary oral health care for a wide variety of patients including patients with special needs.

• The residents achieve this goal by treating patients referred from physicians within the NorthShore University HealthSystem. This includes referrals from oncologists for the management of oral side effects from chemotherapy and/or head and neck radiation treatment.  Patients are seen for an oral evaluation as well as patient education prior to receiving head and neck radiation treatment.  The residents also evaluate patients prior to heart valve replacement surgery, joint replacements, and bisphosphonate therapy. In addition, residents may be called for inpatient consults on patients with endocarditis, dental pain, oral infections, or other dental issues.
• Feedback and evaluations from supervising dental attendings in the dental clinic, review of logbooks, and the American Association of Hospital Dentists outcomes assessment exams will be used in the evaluation of this goal.

Goal 3:  Manage the delivery of oral health care by applying concepts of patient and practice management and quality improvement that are responsive to a dynamic healthcare environment.

• The residents achieve this goal through chart review and patient satisfaction surveys.
• Results of chart review and patient satisfaction surveys will be used in the evaluation of this goal.

Goal 4:  Function effectively within the hospital and other healthcare environments.

• The residents achieve this goal by working with nurses, physicians, medical house staff on their Emergency Department, Anesthesia, and Hospitalist rotations. In addition, this goal will be achieved by seeing dental patients in the Emergency Department as well as consultations/referrals from physicians within the hospital.
• The supervising attending evaluations at the completion of the Emergency Department, Anesthesia, and Hospitalist rotations, as well as the American Association of Hospital Dentists outcomes assessment exams, will be used in the evaluation of this goal.

Goal 5:  Function effectively within interdisciplinary health care teams.

• The residents achieve this goal by providing consultations to a wide variety of patients including cancer patients, cardiac patients undergoing heart valve replacement, orthopedic patients undergoing joint replacements, patients with endocarditis and bisphosphonate therapy. During rotations in the Emergency Department, Anesthesia and Hospitalist rotation the residents will work within interdisciplinary health care teams.
• The supervising attending evaluations at the completion of the Emergency Department, Anesthesia, and Hospitalist rotation and the American Association of Hospital Dentists outcomes assessment exams will be used in the evaluation of this goal.

Goal 6:  Apply scientific principles to learning and oral health care.  This includes using critical thinking, evidence, or outcomes-based clinical decision-making and technology-based information retrieval systems.

• Critical thinking is developed during treatment planning/patient care conferences/case discussions and literature review. In addition, critical thinking will be developed through internal medicine noon conferences and internal medicine, Morbidity and Mortality conferences and Ethics Committee meetings.
• The residents have access onsite and via the internet to the NorthShore libraries and University of Chicago library which gives the residents the use of technology-based information systems.
• Treatment planning, case presentations, and interactions with dental attendings in the clinic will be used to assess the resident’s ability to use scientific literature and critical thinking skills inpatient care. Also, the American Association of Hospital Dentists' outcomes assessment exams will be used in the evaluation of this goal.

Goal 7:  Utilize the values of professional ethics, lifelong learning, patient-centered care, adaptability and acceptance of cultural diversity in professional practice.

• This goal is achieved by the residents attending institutional ethics conferences, grand rounds, and literature reviews. In addition, the residents will have ethics conferences based on the institutions' ethics committee bimonthly newsletter Dilemmas and Dialogue.
• The residents will work with certified translators within the hospital or use of the language line to assist in communication with patients that do not speak English.
• Supervising attending feedback and evaluations after the completion of the Emergency Department, Hospitalist and Anesthesia rotations will be used in the evaluation of this goal.

Goal 8:  Understand the oral health needs of communities and engage in community service.

• The residents achieve this goal by providing ongoing community service to patients in the dental center who are eligible for reduced costs due to their financial status.  The residents also participate in community service activities outside of Evanston Hospital such as health fairs and/or going to schools.
• Supervising attending evaluations and feedback from outside community service activities are used in the evaluation of this goal.

Source: ADA Accreditation Guidelines for GPR program.

Upon completion of training, the resident is competent to:

a)  Act as a primary oral health care provider. This includes:

1. providing emergency and multidisciplinary comprehensive oral health care:
2. obtaining informed consent;
3. functioning effectively within interdisciplinary health care teams, including consultation and referral;
4. providing patient-focused care that is coordinated by the general practitioner; 
5. directing health promotion and disease prevention activities; and
6. using advanced dental treatment modalities 

b) Assess, diagnose and plan for the provision of multidisciplinary oral health care for a wide variety of patients including
         patients with special needs.

c) Manage the delivery of patient-focused oral health care.

Upon completion of the residency program, the resident is able to provide the following at an advanced level of skill and complexity beyond that accomplished in pre-doctoral training:

a) operative dentistry
b) replacement of teeth using fixed and removable prosthodontics
c) periodontal therapy
d) endodontic therapy
e) oral surgery
f) evaluation and treatment of dental emergencies
g) pain and anxiety control utilizing behavioral and pharmacological techniques.

Upon completion of the residency program, the resident will be able to manage the following:

a) medical emergencies
b) implants
c) oral mucosal diseases
d) temporomandibular disorder and orofacial pain
e) occlusal disorders

The competency and outcomes assessment forms used are available to applicants upon request.