The Department of Dental and Oral Medicine of New York Hospital Queens offers a comprehensive and balanced general practice residency utilizing the total patient care concept. The GPR program began in 1968 and currently has 13 first year GPR’s and 2 second year GPR’s. To date we have trained more than 355 residents.


The curriculum at NYHQ is structured with an emphasis on general practice of dentistry. The educational experiences of dentistry and medicine in the hospital setting permit the resident to gain a better understanding of the delivery of patient care. The dental and medical education provided enhances the resident’s diagnostic and clinical skills and develops his/her judgment. Our 2nd year residents (PGY-2, GPR) have the opportunity to treat more complex dental cases as well as participating in placing and restoring implants.


The dental department is an affiliate of Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery and SUNY at Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine. Senior dental students rotate through the dental service with individual supervision. Many of NYHQ’s dental staff members enjoy faculty appointments at Columbia, which reinforces the program’s educational commitment. The hospital is affiliated with the New York Hospital – Weill Medical College of Cornell University, where some dental faculty members have teaching appointments, and through which oral and maxillofacial residents rotate. The department is staffed by 51 dentists representing all specialty areas as well as general practice. Thirteen of the attending dentists are directors of subspecialty departments.

About the Director

Dr. Burton Wasserman is Chairman and Program Director, and Chairman of the Committee for System Dental Services for the New York Presbyterian Healthcare System, Editor for Quality Improvement Issues for “Interface” – a Special Care Organization publication, and author of Federal grants totaling 3.5 million dollars. Former president and Board Chairman of American Association of Hospital Dentists, he is currently a consultant and site evaluator for Commission on Dental Accreditation (serving 22 years in this capacity).

Dr. Wasserman is the recipient of AAHD’s Chasko Award 1990; Greater NY Meeting’s Gruber Award 1999; and Columbia University’s Rosenstein Visiting Professorship 2004. He is Clinical Professor of Dentistry, Columbia University, School of Dental and Oral Surgery and Clinical Professor of Surgery, Weill Medical College of Cornell University.

 

 

 


The dental teaching program provides educational input in all subspecialties including:

• Prosthodontics (fixed and removable)
• Oral and maxillofacial surgery
• Endodontics
• Periodontics
• Pediatric Dentistry
• Perio-prothodontics
• Orthodontics
• Oral diagnosis
• Oral medicine and oral pathology
• Maxillofacial prosthodontic
• Anesthesiology/pain control
• Implantology
• Geriatric dentistry
• Laser surgery


The department receives over 1500 outpatient clinic visits per month. Each resident averages about ten units of crown and bridgework, six or seven periodontal procedures, eight molar endodontic procedures, numerous extractions and oral and surgical maxillofacial procedures as well as removable prosthodontics and orthodontic minor tooth movement.

Rotations

The Department of Dental and Oral Medicine enjoys two off-site rotations. The rotation at Silvercrest Extended Care Facility offers comprehensive care to all residents of the facility and strengthens our program with a teaching component in gerontology.
The rotation at the satellite ambulatory care facility in Jamaica, Queens, gives the resident an opportunity to treat a seriously underserved, medically compromised and developmentally disabled population.
A required 2-week rotation in the department of anesthesiology is scheduled for each resident during which he/she is instructed in respiratory and cardiac monitoring intubation, starting I.V.’s, pharmacology and the management of patients in a crisis situation.

A complete listing of rotations includes:

• Anesthesiology-70 hours
• Emergency medicine-80 hours
• Medicine rotation-75 hours
• Radiology/Radiation Oncology- 1 day each
• Oral Pathology- 2 weeks
• Nursing home rotation at Silvercrest
• Satellite ambulatory care program in Jamaica, Queens

In addition, the dental residents alternate emergency on-call responsibilities every 13 days. Assignment to blood drawing rounds is a portion of the program as well.
We have 2 fully-equipped operatories in the emergency room. Every resident rotates through the ER facility as part of his/her program.

Educational Activities

A comprehensive educational program is an inherent part of the dental residency-training program. The dental residents attend lectures, conferences, round and journal clubs given by:

• Dental attending staff
• Anesthesiologists
• Internists
• Cardiologists
• Radiologists/radiation oncologists
• Emergency medicine physicians
• Head and neck oral surgery grand rounds
• Infection control course
• Electives in ACLS

Administrative Structure and Facilities

The department of dental and oral medicine personnel includes an administrative director, a manager, a resident coordinator, thirteen dental assistants and two secretaries.

The department operates with nine operating units, eight x-ray units, a panorex and a cephalometric unit, as well as three off-site operatories. One dental chair is utilized for pain control research, I.V. sedation cases, emergency care, oral medicine and dental lasers.

The department performs approximately 70 operating room cases each year including oral surgery, pediatric dentistry, periodontics and special care. In addition, the department of emergency medicine refers many oral and maxillofacial trauma and pathology cases to the dental service each month.

Grants

Our department has received approximately 3.5 million dollars in grant awards since 1977. These grants have assisted us in expanding the program for the number of residents as well as upgrading our curriculum and facility.
[ Top ]   [ Close Window ]