Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Residency Program

Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of Connecticut offers both a 4-year certificate residency program for 1 candidate per year and a 6-year OMFS-MD residency for 2 candidates per year, with all positions approved by the Commission on Dental Accreditation and sponsored by the School of Dental Medicine. In the 6-year program, the trainee receives education leading to an M.D. degree, as well as a two-year certificate of accreditation by the Council on Graduate Medical Education, and education in oral and maxillofacial surgery, leading to a certificate and eligibility for examination by the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. The 4-year residency program is similar in all regards to the 6-year program but does not lead to the granting of a medical degree or a certificate in graduate medical education

Oral and maxillofacial surgical training is provided under the auspices of the School of Dental Medicine at the affiliated hospitals. Residents rotate through UConn John Dempsey Hospital (UConn Health), Hartford Hospital, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, and Saint Francis Hospital. Formal medical education is provided through the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and the Department of General Surgery. Additional off-service medical rotations are conducted in collaboration with the Graduate Medical Education Program of the School of Medicine. The combination of numerous full-time and part-time faculty in the Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery offers a unique blend of academic and clinical education.

In the OMFS-MD program, the first year consists of clinical oral and maxillofacial surgery and anesthesiology rotations. The following 18 months are dedicated to mandatory and elective third- and fourth-year clerkships at the School of Medicine, after which the medical degree is awarded. During this time, the resident also completes the remainder of their off-service anesthesia rotations. The fourth and fifth years involve rotations in general surgery, several other medical and surgical specialties, and oral and maxillofacial surgery. The final year is spent as a chief resident in oral and maxillofacial surgery.

In the 4-year program, the first year consists of clinical oral and maxillofacial surgery and anesthesiology rotations. The second and third years consist of rotations in general surgery, several other medical and surgical specialties, and oral and maxillofacial surgery. The final year is spent as a chief resident in oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Master’s and Ph.D. degree programs are available in addition to the oral and maxillofacial surgery residency program. Faculty from other departments within the Schools of Dental Medicine and Medicine, as well as staff members from the affiliated hospitals, fully participate in the residency program.

Application Information:
We will only consider your application for either the 4-year program or the 6-year program, as per the ADEA website. Please do not apply to both programs, as UConn will not consider applicants for multiple programs.

Requirements:
Applicants must have completed a predental education and must be graduates of an American or Canadian School of Dentistry by the time their program begins. The applicant should have demonstrated a high level of academic achievement during college and dental school and have undertaken activities during dental school that demonstrate a special interest in oral and maxillofacial surgery. A minimum of three years of undergraduate college education, with 90 credits, is required; however, a bachelor’s degree is preferred. A letter of recommendation is required from the Dean of your dental school, including your class rank for each year and the total number of students in the class. All applications and accompanying materials must be received by October 1st of the year preceding the appointment. Interviews are by invitation only and will be held in November. All applications will be processed through the Postdoctoral Application Support Service (PASS) of the American Association of Dental Schools. Information and applications can be obtained by contacting PASS. All applicants are required to register with the National Matching Services.

The following materials should be submitted through the Postdoctoral Application Support Service (PASS) of the American Association of Dental Schools:

• A recent 2x2 color photo (preferably in JPEG format)
• A payment of $100.00. Please ensure you select "Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS)" (not "Oral and Maxillofacial Diagnostic Sciences (OMFR)" or "Dental School Pre-Doc Program"). The only accepted payment method is PayPal, via the following link: https://enrollmentfees.uchc.edu/DentAppFees.html. (We do not accept any other form of payment.)

The application deadline is October 1 of the year preceding July 1 matriculation (or when the CBSE results are in).

Please note that the interviews will be held in person. Please visit the ADEA website for dates.

Residency Salary/Benefits:
While on service as a resident, the trainee will be paid a salary commensurate with their level of training. During the second and third years, while the trainee is enrolled in the School of Medicine, full tuition will be the responsibility of the resident. Financial aid may be available while enrolled in the School of Medicine.

Residency Salary Schedule:

• Program Year 1: PGY1 Salary
• Program Year 2: No Salary (if in Medical School)
• Program Year 3: July - November: No salary (Medical School); December - June: PGY2 salary for 6-year residents, PGY3 Salary for 4-year residents
• Program Year 4: PGY3 Salary for 6-year residents, PGY4 Salary for 4-year residents
• Program Year 5: PGY4 Salary
• Program Year 6: PGY5 Salary

Employee benefits are provided while functioning as a resident and continue while the resident is in medical school.

Whether in a 4-year or 6-year program, all residents will complete a minimum of 34 months of on-service time, 5 months of off-service anesthesia rotations (including a full month of pediatric anesthesia), 6 months of general surgery time, and 2 months of general medicine. All residents are required to participate in scholarly activity and research. In their first year, all residents participate in a post-graduate sedation course and a comprehensive course on performing a medical history and physical exam.

Didactics

Throughout all segments of time assigned to the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Service, each resident is involved in a comprehensive and carefully planned program of lectures, conferences, and seminars specifically designed to meet the educational needs of the surgeon-in-training. The didactic program consists of the following activities:

Instructional Core Lectures: A 1-1/2 period is devoted weekly to instruction on basic medical and surgical problems as they apply to oral and maxillofacial surgery. The material includes topics such as microbiology, pharmacology, radiology, as well as orthognathic surgery, trauma, infections, tumor surgery, reconstruction, preprosthetic surgery, implant surgery, and temporomandibular joint disorders.

Oral and Head and Neck Pathology: The residents participate in a clinical seminar course offered by our oral pathology faculty for the post-doctoral programs in the School of Dental Medicine. The residents attend 5-6 sessions, some of which involve presenting clinical pathology cases.

Joint Orthodontic/Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Seminar Series: One hour per month is devoted to a meeting between faculty and residents of both orthodontics and oral and maxillofacial surgery. During these meetings, either a formal lecture is presented, or an interesting orthognathic surgery case is jointly presented and reviewed.

Journal Review and Resident Seminar: Three times a month, current and classic articles pertaining to oral and maxillofacial surgery are reviewed during meetings with residents and faculty. In addition, a resident seminar is conducted at each of these meetings.

Teaching Rounds: Residents and faculty participate, as needed, in teaching rounds at each of the hospitals.

Trauma Conference: Each month, a trauma conference is held, including residents and faculty from all surgical services involved in trauma care.

Quality Assurance Conference: Quality assurance and improvement conferences are held as part of the instructional core curriculum. Methods of prevention, recognition, and management of problems are discussed.

Craniofacial Deformities Team: A four-hour meeting is held bi-weekly, including faculty and residents from various specialties involved in managing major craniofacial anomalies. During these meetings, patients are examined, and treatment plans are developed.

Surgical Scope

Orthognathic Surgery: Full-scope orthognathic surgery is performed at all teaching hospitals, with 75-100 osteotomies conducted annually.

Trauma: The Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery covers all oral, maxillofacial, and craniofacial trauma for the University of Connecticut, Saint Francis Hospital, Hartford Hospital, and Connecticut Children’s. A monthly trauma conference is held at Hartford Hospital to discussion of recent trauma cases.

TMJ: Full-scope diagnosis and treatment of temporomandibular joint disorders are performed throughout the residency. Treatment ranges from arthrocentesis to arthrotomy/condylectomy and reconstruction with autogenous or prosthetic joints.

Pathology: Extensive exposure to head and neck pathology occurs throughout the residency program, both while on the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery service and during rotations through General Surgery and Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery. Residents gain experience in the management of both benign and malignant diseases of the head and neck, including their preoperative and postoperative management. In addition, residents benefit from collaboration with our oral pathology service.

Reconstruction: Maxillofacial reconstruction is performed at all teaching institutions for post-ablative or post-traumatic injuries. Treatment ranges from simple autogenous bone grafts to autogenous free flaps, performed in conjunction with the Plastic Surgery and Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery services.

Cosmetics: Full-scope facial cosmetic surgery procedures are performed with attendings from both the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and the Department of Plastic Surgery.

Craniofacial: Residents are integral members of the Craniofacial Team at Connecticut Children’s and act as the primary surgical resident assigned to many craniofacial cases. Exposure includes the surgical repair of cleft lip, cleft palate, alveolar cleft repair, orthognathic surgery, distraction osteogenesis, cranioplasty for craniosynostosis, and secondary soft tissue refinements in the maxillofacial region. Surgical procedures occur every Friday, with cases performed by attendings from both Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Plastic Surgery.

Osseointegrated Implants: Residents are extensively involved in treatment planning and the surgical placement of osseointegrated implants, as well as all adjunctive surgical procedures, at UConn Health and Hartford Hospital.

Anesthesia/Sedation: Residents receive comprehensive training in the administration of deep sedation and general anesthesia, including 5 months rotating on the University of Connecticut Anesthesia Service, where they act as anesthesia residents at the respective teaching institutions. In addition, both of our outpatient OMFS clinics are equipped to provide comprehensive sedation and general anesthesia in conjunction with oral and maxillofacial surgical procedures. Typically, our residents perform over 600 anesthetics annually.

Dentoalveolar: Extensive, comprehensive exposure to the diagnosis, preoperative planning, and performance of surgical extractions/preprosthetic surgery occurs on a daily basis in each teaching institution.

Research Requirements: An important and required part of the resident educational experience at the University of Connecticut Affiliated Program is involvement in either clinical or basic science research or other types of scholarly activity. This can include presenting a poster or oral abstract at a national or regional professional meeting. Many residents also author or co-author book chapters. In recent years, several residents have created educational materials on subjects in OMFS or related areas. This has included developing lecture material, producing teaching videos, and participating in teaching courses on surgical anatomy, medical emergencies, and anesthesia.

*Obtaining a badge from UConn Health is mandatory and required in order to be enrolled. This process includes a full background check. Badges are subject to approval from UConn Police and the Risk Management Office. 

Externship Opportunities

The Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, the UConn School of Dental Medicine, and its affiliated teaching hospitals are offering an externship for dental students. The primary objective is to provide students with an opportunity to gain clinical experience and exposure to the broad scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery practice.

The Oral and Maxillofacial externship program is based in the School of Dental Medicine, UConn John Dempsey Hospital in Farmington, Hartford Hospital, and Connecticut Children’s. The program has four full-time and over 20 part-time board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeons, as well as 16 residents, with whom the externs will work closely.

Patients requiring a wide variety of surgeries are seen at the teaching sites. These include patients undergoing orthognathic surgery, temporomandibular joint procedures, cleft management, bone graft reconstruction, facial trauma, preprosthetic, and major dentoalveolar surgery. Externs will also be involved in outpatient dentoalveolar surgery. They will assist and learn in the operating room, emergency room, and on the hospital inpatient service. During a typical month, about 50 patients are admitted for major oral and maxillofacial surgery. The student’s time will be divided to allow maximum exposure to the greatest number and variety of surgical cases. Externships can last from two to four weeks, depending on our schedule and the student’s preferences.

In order to be considered for an externship position, the student must be a registered third- or fourth-year dental student in good standing from an accredited school in the United States, have successfully completed a Fundamentals of Oral Surgery course, and have initial clinical experience in oral surgery. The student must also provide letters of recommendation from the chief of oral and maxillofacial surgery at their dental school and from the dental school Dean’s office. Please fill out and submit the externship application form.

The program is committed to providing equal opportunity and does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, age, religion, color, disability, or national origin.

Contact Information:
Erika Minan
Administrative Program Coordinator
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Residency Program
UConn School of Dental Medicine
263 Farmington Ave., Mail Code: 1720
Farmington, CT 06030
Email: eminan@uchc.edu
Phone: (860) 679-3004