Department of Orthodontics & Pediatric Surgery

Interim Chair: Kimberly Patterson, DDS, MS

The predoctoral curriculum of the Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry begins in the first quarter of the second year. Initially, the student is introduced to the preventive aspects of dental care for children. Prevention is especially stressed including the use of systemic and topical fluorides, occlusal sealant application and diet modification. Restorative care and appliance therapy for children is also taught with equal emphasis placed upon the technical aspects of treatment and treatment rationale. The development of occlusion from the prenatal period through adolescence is presented, and what constitutes a normal occlusion is described. Students learn to recognize malocclusion, identify the concomitant etiologic factors and are taught to prevent, intercept or treat minor problems of occlusion. The didactic program continues in the third year with emphasis on behavior management in children, orthodontic considerations for the adult patient and review of the literature. Clinical sessions in children’s dentistry are conducted in the student’s second and third years. The department offers selectives to fourth-year students both at the school and at affiliated institutions. In addition, a fourth year clinical program in dental care for the developmentally disabled is provided.