University of Nevada, Las Vegas Dental Anesthesiology Residency is a Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) approved, 36-month program. It is designed to train residents, in the most comprehensive manner, to use pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic methods for managing anxiety and pain among adults, children, and patients with special care needs who undergo dental, maxillofacial, and adjunctive procedures. Residents will be qualified in the diagnosis and non-surgical treatment of acute orofacial pain and will participate in the management of patients with chronic orofacial pain.

Mission & Goals

The mission of the program is to encourage residents to learn and practice beyond the evaluation of simple competency — moving toward a higher level of expertise in hospital, surgery center, and mobile, office-based anesthesia for dentistry. Residents will learn skills that enable them to self-assess their ongoing educational needs, continue to build upon their expertise, enhance their ability to think critically, and evaluate and respond to individual patient needs.

Goals

1. Deliver anxiety and pain control services for emergency and comprehensive multidisciplinary oral health care.
2. Plan and provide anesthesia-related care for the full range of dental patients, including patients with special needs.
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.
4. Function effectively within the hospital, dental office, ambulatory surgery center, and other healthcare environments.
5. Function effectively within interdisciplinary healthcare teams.
6. Apply scientific principles to learning and anesthesia-related oral health care. This includes using critical thinking, evidence, or outcomes-based clinical decision-making, and technology-based information retrieval systems.
7. Utilize the values of professional ethics, lifelong learning, patient-centered care, adaptability, and acceptance of cultural diversity in professional practice.

Requirements

Applicants must satisfy one of the following qualifications to be eligible for the advanced dental education program in dental anesthesiology:

1. Graduates from a predoctoral dental education program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation; or
2. Graduates from a predoctoral dental education program in Canada accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada; or
3. Graduates from an international dental school with equivalent educational background and standing as determined by the institution and program.

Qualifying applicants then use the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) PASS (https://www.adea.org/PASS/) to apply.

Selection of residents is based on dental school transcripts, class rank, letters of recommendation, demonstrated interest in and knowledge of the specialty, observation of programs and private practice dentist anesthesiologists, attendance at anesthesia meetings, applicant essays, and the interview process.

Applicants are categorized based on qualitative and quantitative criteria to determine who will be offered interviews and their rank order for the MATCH program. Initially, interviews will be virtual and held during late October or the first week of November. MATCH results will be released in mid-November.

Competency Requirements

1. Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the human body and its response to the various pharmacologic agents used in anxiety and pain control.
2. Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of the pathophysiology and clinical medicine related to the disease of the human body and the effects of various pharmacological agents used in anxiety and pain control when these conditions are present.
3. Demonstrate in-depth knowledge in evaluating patients’ physiological and psychological needs for various forms of anxiety and pain control and their potential response to anxiety and pain control procedures.
4. Demonstrate in-depth knowledge in evaluating patients’ physiological and psychological risks associated with the use of various modalities of anxiety and pain control.
5. Demonstrate in-depth knowledge in selecting an appropriate anxiety and pain control modality to use concerning the specific physical and psychological status of the patient.
6. Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of patient preparation for sedation/anesthesia, including pre-operative and post-operative instructions and informed consent.
7. Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of the use of anesthesia-related equipment for the delivery of anesthesia, patient monitoring, and emergency management.
8. Demonstrate in-depth knowledge in the administration of local anesthesia, sedation, and general anesthesia, as well as in psychological management and behavior modification as they relate to anxiety and pain control in dentistry.
9. Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of managing perioperative emergencies and complications related to anxiety and pain control procedures, including the immediate establishment of an airway and maintenance of ventilation and circulation.
10. Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of the diagnosis and non-surgical treatment of acute pain related to the head and neck region.
11. Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of current literature on dental anesthesiology.

Didactic Components

All primary didactics are provided in August and September of the first year.

• Applied Biomedical Sciences - 30 hours
• Behavioral Medicine - 4 hours
• Complications and Emergencies - 10 hours
• Critical Evaluation of Literature - 8 hours
• Methods of Anxiety and Pain Control - 20 hours
• Pain Management - 10 hours
• Physical Diagnosis - 10 hours

Salary and Benefits

Resident Salary:

• PGY-1: $62,659
• PGY-2: $64,539
• PGY-3: $66,475

Health Benefits

1. Annual leave of up to 15 days at full salary per year will be available starting July 1 of each year. There is no carry-over of annual leave from one year to the next, and residents shall not be paid for any unused annual leave upon termination of employment. Annual leave shall be taken at a time approved or directed by the supervisor.
2. Sick leave will be granted as required, up to 15 days at full salary, and available at any time during the initial 12 months of service. Beginning 12 months after the starting date of their contracts, residents will begin to accrue additional sick leave at a rate of 1-1/4 days per full month of service to add to any remaining balance of unused sick leave from the first 12 months of service. Sick leave may be accrued from year to year, not to exceed 15 work days on the last day of each month.
3. Funds to pay for group health and life insurance, unemployment compensation coverage, or other group insurance plans will be provided to the residents by UNLV School of Dental Medicine.
4. UNLV School of Dental Medicine residents do not participate in Social Security. Instead, dental residents are required to participate in a mandatory 403(b) retirement plan. Vesting is immediate with 6.2% of the employee’s gross salary contributed, and the university matching the contribution.
5. Residents will be covered under the state workers’ compensation program and Medicare.
6. Malpractice insurance will be provided by the university. After contract termination, the insurance policy will cover the residents' contracted activities during the contract.