Dental Public Health Certificate

Overview

The mission of the certificate program in Advanced Education in Dental Public Health at the School of Dentistry, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA) is to educate specialists in dental public health to promote oral health and prevent dental disease at both the population and individual level, with a focus on the oral health needs of South Texas and the Texas-Mexico border communities.

The goal of the certificate program in Advanced Education in Dental Public Health at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is to educate competent dental public health professionals to strengthen the capacity of the dental public health workforce.  The DPH Program fulfills this goal by:

• Educating dental public health specialists in accordance with the guidance established by the American Board of Dental Public Health, and
• Establishing an educated dental public health workforce, which is critical to the implementation of the essential (core) public health functions.

Admissions Requirements

Admission into the Dental Public Health (DPH) Program is systematic and considers candidate applications based upon a holistic review of each application. Individuals are eligible to apply for admission if they have a dental degree (can be international) and have completed a master’s degree in public health. These criteria for admission are established by the American Board of Dental Public Health. Applications must be postmarked by the application deadline to be considered. Initially, the applications undergo a review for completeness. Applications cannot be reviewed if deemed incomplete by the DPH program director. The applications are forwarded to the Dental Public Health Program Committee that consists of members of the teaching faculty, representation from individuals with education in dental public health from the community and the program \director. Applications are reviewed based upon established criteria that include, but are not limited to, oral and written communication, previous work experiences, research/publications, community experiences, potential for success, and academic performance.

Our application process begins September 1 of each year and ends on November 1.

Applications received after November 1 will not be considered. Applications may be requested by e-mail from dphresidency@uthscsa.edu.

An application must include:

1. Proof of having graduated from a dental school (both ADA accredited and non-accredited schools are eligible)
   
2. Proof of having graduated or of being on track to graduate from a master's degree program in public health
3. A completed DPH Residency application.
4. Original transcripts, original foreign transcripts, and original foreign course evaluations (WES or ECE) from each university/school attended must be sent directly from the granting institution in a sealed envelope to the address listed in the application. We do NOT accept copies. If the institution sends electronic transcripts, they must be sent to: dphresidency@uthscsa.edu
5. A one-page summary of your career objectives with a description of your career plans after completion of the DPH residency program.
6.  A 1,000-word scientific/evidence-based review with references (APA format) on this topic: “Access to oral health among elderly in rural areas”. (References are not included in the 1,000-word count).
7. Three letters of recommendation sent directly to this address: dphresidency@uthscsa.edu
8. A current copy of your curriculum vitae.
9. Personal Interview if selected

Initially, the applications undergo a review for completeness. Applications cannot be reviewed if deemed incomplete by the DPH Program Director. The applications are forwarded to the Dental Public Health Program Committee that consists of members of the teaching faculty, representation from individuals with education in dental public health from the community and the program director. Applications are reviewed based upon established criteria that include, but are not limited to, oral and written communication, previous work experiences, research/publications, community experiences, potential for success, and academic performance.

A preliminary review of the applications is conducted by the Committee who select candidates for a virtual interview. Once the committee completes the virtual interview, the committee decides which candidates to consider for a face-to-face interview. The interview provides the committee with the ability to evaluate the candidate’s intellectual curiosity, career objectives and goals, and suitability for the program. Based upon input received from the interviewers, the committee meets and recommends the individuals for admission to the DPH Program Director who will notify applicants of the disposition of the application.

Once admitted into the DPH Program, the following information must be provided to the director before matriculation:  1) each candidate will need to provide proof of current immunizations; 2) each candidate must demonstrate that they have health insurance or purchase student health insurance, and; 3) each candidate must complete a criminal background check through the university. A candidate cannot matriculate until all official transcripts are verified.

Degree Requirements

The curriculum is designed to provide the dental public health advanced education student with experiences leading to competence in the field of dental public health. At the completion of the program in dental public health, the candidate should have obtained fundamental knowledge of the philosophy, principles, and practice of dental public health, and developed skills in practicing dental public health, including research, administration, and education. The program is arranged to address the competency statements, allowing the resident to develop core knowledge in the area. The required experiences and courses cover a wide range of information believed to be essential for graduates in the field. The curriculum consists of five content areas, including didactic coursework, research, rotations, undergraduate dental teaching and field-clinical-and service learning experiences. The curriculum components are combined into two courses per semester: Advanced Education in Dental Public Health 1 and Research Methodology in Dental Public Health 1 offered in the fall semester, and Advanced Education in Dental Public Health 2 and Research Methodology in Dental Public Health 2 offered in the spring semester. Upon demonstration of competency in dental public health, the advanced education students are awarded a specialty certificate.

Sample Plan of Study

Objectives/Program Outcomes

1. To educate a culturally competent public health dentist that can address the oral health needs of children and adults;
2. To provide service-learning experiences that will ensure understanding of efficient and effective dental public health programs that increase access to community preventive services;
3. To cultivate professionals with advanced training in dental public health who can address oral health disparities and inequities;
4. To develop a dental public health workforce that is prepared to work in a dental public health career in academics, local, state and federal agencies (e.g. Indian Health Service, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Health Resources and Services Administration), armed forces, international health agencies, health care management, financing, and management agencies ; and,
5. To prepare candidates to challenge the examination for board certification by the American Board of Dental Public Health.