Certificate in General Practice Residency
About the Program
The General Practice Residency certificate program has been granted full accreditation status by the ADA Commission on Dental Accreditation and participates in the "PASS” program. The program aims to build upon the student’s existing knowledge so they can assess complete oral health needs of a patient; offer thorough, high-quality care; and understand how to balance ongoing patient care while referring patients to appropriate specialists.
Six residents are accepted into the program every summer. Residents practice at the UNLV Dental Clinic and provide dental emergency coverage on a weekly rotating basis. Each resident receives a stipend of $44,500.
Five Reasons to Get a Certificate in General Practice Residency at UNLV
- Gain clinical experience and participate in organized dentistry: Our facility proudly comprises an impressive and experienced group of specialists and general practitioners who lend their clinical expertise, experiences, and knowledge to residents. Through working closely with our staff, you will receive the opportunity to expand your clinical experience while receiving detailed didactic training for modern general dentistry practices
- Practice in different environments to sharpen your skills: Rotations in family medicine, anesthesiology, and emergency/trauma are an essential component of the program. You will also get first-hand experience with treating patients in a hospital and/or surgical center environment.
- Set the stage for lifelong learning habits: Our program allows students to immerse themselves in dental literature and supplement their classroom and clinical experiences with local, state, and/or national continuing dental education.
- Enhance your education with the latest technology: Residents receive access to state-of-the-art equipment and dental materials including intra-oral video and digital cameras, lasers, micro-abrasion units, digital radiography and use of the surgical microscope. Six microscopes–two Zeiss PROergo and 4 Global microscopes–are also available for use.
- Receive advanced training in conscious sedation: Due to the high incidence of dental phobics or people with acute situational anxiety, it is invaluable to be able to offer your patients moderate, IV sedation. Very few general dentists are credentialed to perform sedation dentistry in private practice. You will also have the opportunity to treat medically compromised or special needs patients under general anesthesia (sleep dentistry) administered by a dental anesthesiologist in our clinic.
Program Highlights
Plan and Carry Out Comprehensive Treatment Plans
Comprehensive treatment planning involving multiple specialty areas will allow opportunities to participate in the following:
- Advanced surgical procedures including incision and drainage, biopsy, pre-prosthetic surgery, complex surgical extractions;
- Fabrication and insertion of simple and complex fixed and removable prostheses;
- Diagnosis, placement and restoration of dental implants utilizing Nobel Biocare, and BioHorizons systems;
- Conscious sedation (oral, inhalation, IM, and IV). Residents are expected to successfully complete Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and become certified in conscious sedation. Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) is offered on an optional basis.
Gain Exposure to Periodontics and Endodontics
Residents learn all facets of periodontics including surgical techniques, grafting procedures and internal and external sinus lifts. Similarly, they learn all facets of endodontics including rotary files utilizing different systems to include Vortex Blue files; ProTaper Gold and WaveOne Gold; warm vertical; and BC Sealer obturation techniques.
Learn About Esthetic Dentistry
The program touches on esthetic dentistry principles and treatment options, including ceramic veneers, smile analysis, and esthetic gingival procedures. These skills are highly sought after by practices looking for new associates.
Understand Practice Management Concepts
Residents will learn key practice management concepts that will help facilitate the transition to private practice.
Continued Program Experience for Exceptional Students
Exceptional residents will be offered the opportunity to continue for a second year of more advanced training and experience. At the end of the second year, the resident will have been exposed to the equivalent of many years of diverse clinical and hospital experience, and will depart with abilities and knowledge levels far above that of their peers.
Admission Requirements
Selection is based the following criteria:
- Currently enrolled in, or have graduated from, an ADA-accredited dental school in the United States or Canada
- United States or Canadian citizenship, or possession of a valid INS Form I-151 or I-551
- Proficient in the English language
- Must be in good moral and academic standing
- Successful completion of the Integrated National Board Dental Examination (INBDE)
- Successful completion of the program application
Interviews, generally held during the first two weeks of October, will be offered based on the applicants’ qualitative and quantitative criteria. Requests for interviews to be scheduled prior to or after the intended period will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Application Process
To simplify the application process in one standardized format, all applications to the UNLV School of Dental Medicine Advanced Education in General Practice Residency will be processed through the ADEA Postdoctoral Application Support Service (PASS).
The application will ask you to provide the following:
- National Board scores
- Dental school transcripts
- Class rank
- Letters of recommendation
- Applicant essay
When an application is submitted through PASS, no additional documentation is required.
If PASS is not utilized, we request the documentation identified below be mailed to:;
UNLV School of Dental Medicine
General Practice Residency
1700 W. Charleston Blvd.
Mail Stop 7424
Las Vegas, NV 89106
- Three letters of recommendation, two from specialists
- Short essay on your interest in graduate training and our GPR program
- CV
- Dental School Transcripts
- National Board Dental Exam Part I Results
- Biographical Statement
- Dentpin Number
State Dental Boards
Visit the American Dental Association’s Dental Boards page for specific information about licensure in each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.