Surgical Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology (2,000 hours of instruction)

The final goal of this discipline is to train individuals to competently diagnose at the microscopic levels pathological processes affecting the oral and maxillofacial regions. More precisely, the trainees should be able to:

• Competently gross oral biopsy specimens.
• Comfortably diagnose at the microscopic level more than 95% of the cases that are seen as routine submissions in an oral pathology biopsy service.
• Establish a reasonable differential diagnosis of rare oral lesions seen in the oral and maxillofacial regions, and then select, request and interpret appropriate special histochemical, immunocytochemical, immunofluorescence and in situ hybridization studies.
• Draft competent pathology reports of cases reviewed in an oral and maxillofacial pathology biopsy service.
• Understand and apply the administrative and licensing procedures associated with the establishment and directorship of an oral biopsy service.
• Know and apply the legal aspects of the laboratory operation such as malpractice insurance, and laws that protect individual privacy.
• Understand and practice the regulatory procedures which provide for the safety of laboratory personnel.
• Work in an academic environment oriented to teach surgical oral pathology.

Patient Evaluation and Management (360 hours of instruction)

The main goal of this subject area is to provide the trainee with the proper tools and experience to evaluate the physical aspects of oral and systemic diseases. More precisely, the trainees should be able to:

• Assess the systemic status of out-patient and in-patient populations.
• Evaluate the systemic and local medication taken by patients, its indications, contraindications and side-effects.
• Clinically diagnose diseases affecting oral soft and hard tissues and/or establish a clinical differential diagnosis leading to the appropriate treatment of the condition in question.
• Manage unusual cases and participate in multidisciplinary treatment-planning.
• Work in an academic environment oriented to teach clinical oral pathology.

• CLD 555 Head and Neck Anatomy (1 credit) (*Offered every other year during Spring semester.  It can be taken in either the 1^st or 3^rdyear, depending on the student’s academic load.)
• CLD 950  Interdisciplinary Patient Care Seminar (1 credit) (Fall and Spring)
• ODS 530   Histological Interpretation of Oral Lesions (2 credits) Introduction to microscopic pathology of lesions of the oral and paraoral region (Fall and Spring)
• ODS 671  Independent Study. Head and Neck Pathology seminar at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Department of Pathology (1 credit) (Fall and Spring)
• ODS 901  Advanced Clinical Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology (2 credits) Clinical review of unusual and rare oral and maxillofacial lesions (Spring)
• ODS 903  Oral Pathology Literature Review (1 credit) Review of current advances in head and neck pathology literature (Spring)
• ODS 910  Biopsy Service (5 credits)  (Fall and Spring)
• ODS 911  Oral Pathology Journal Club (1 credit) Formal presentation of selected papers (Fall and Spring)
• ODS 921  Oral Medicine Clinic (3 credits) (Fall and Spring)
• ODS 936 Oral Mucosal Diseases & ODS 900 Diagnosis of Mineralized Tissues (2 credits) Two hour lecture per week. Clinico-pathological correlation of oral lesions with emphasis in the clinical presentation (Fall)
• OS 504 & ORB 510  Saliva and the Oral Microbiome (4 credits) Four hour week lectures. Review of oral immunology, microbiology and salivary fluids (Spring)
• OS 512 Research Design in the Oral Sciences (2 credits) Two hour lecture per week. Understanding of research literature and development of the ability to design and conduct research projects (Fall)
• OS 518 Statistical Methods in the Oral Sciences (3 credits) Three hours lecture per week. The use of statistical methods to analyze scientific data (Spring)
• PTH 600   General Pathology (5 credits) Includes fundamentals of disease processes such as inflammation, tissue injury and repair, the immune response and neoplasia. In addition, the mechanisms of hemodynamic and metabolic derangement will be studied and illustrated by means of clinical material and case studies (Fall)

• OS 510 Research Seminar in the Oral Sciences (1 credit) Topical survey of the Oral Sciences where students have an opportunity to present their research findings to other students and faculty members (Fall and Spring)

Anatomical Pathology (960 hours of instruction)

The final goal of this discipline is to prepare the trainees to interact with their colleagues in the medical field. More specifically, the trainee should be able to:

• Competently assist in autopsy procedures.
• Execute gross and microscopic examination of surgical and necropsy specimens.
• Diagnose at the light microscopy level local and systemic diseases.
• Use and interpret histochemical and immunocytochemical techniques commonly used for the diagnoses of diagnostically challenging entities.
• Use polarized light for the identification of foreign bodies in human tissues.

• CLD 950  Indisciplinary Patient Care Seminar (1 credit) (Fall or Spring)
• ODS 901  Advanced Clinical Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology (2 credits) Clinical review of unusual and rare oral and maxillofacial lesions (Fall or Spring)
• ODS 903  Oral Pathology Literature Review (1 credit) Review of current advances in head and neck pathology literature (Fall or Spring)
• ODS 910  Biopsy Service (5 credits) (Fall or Spring)
• ODS 911  Oral Pathology Journal Club (1 credit) (Fall or Spring)
• ODS 921  Oral Medicine Clinic (Fall or Spring)
• ODS 925  Advanced Oral Histopathology (2 credits) Microscopic examination of challenging and rare cases affecting the oral and paraoral region (Fall or Spring).
• ODS 671  Independent Study. Head and neck pathology seminar at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Department of Pathology (1 credit) (Fall or Spring)
• PTH 699  Six-month rotation at Buffalo General Hospital, Department of Anatomical Pathology (Fall or Spring)

• (1-8 credits) Research project for the M.S. degree.

• OS 510  Research Seminar in the Oral Sciences (1 credit) Topical survey of the Oral Sciences where students have an opportunity to present their research findings to other students and faculty members (Fall or Spring).
• PER 978  Clinical Dental Pharmacology (1 credit) (Spring)

* Students may elect to take any of the courses announced in the University at Buffalo Graduate Courses Bulletin.

Radiology (80 hours of instruction)

The final goal of this discipline is to provide a wide experience in a variety of imaging techniques that are used for diagnostic purposes. In particular, the trainees should be able to:

• Understand and apply radiation safety guidelines in a radiographic imaging facility.
• Interpret conventional dental radiographic studies (bitewing, periapical, occlusal, and panoramic) of the gnathic areas.
• Interpret radiographic images of salivary tissues involving the administration of contrast material (sialography).
• Interpret computerized axial tomographic scans (CAT-scans) of the head and neck region.
• Evaluate head and neck scans involving the administration of radionuclides.
• Interpret magnetic resonance images (MRI) of the head and neck region.   

• CLD 555 Head and Neck Anatomy (1 credit) (*Offered every other year during Spring semester.  It can be taken in either the 1^st or 3^rdyear, depending on the student’s academic load.)
• ODS 671  Independent Study. Head and neck pathology seminar at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Department of Pathology (1 credit) (Fall and Spring)
• ODS 901  Advanced Clinical Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology (2 credits) Clinical review of unusual and rare oral and maxillofacial lesions (Fall)
• ODS 903  Oral Pathology Literature Review (1 credit) (Fall)
• ODS 910  Biopsy Service (5 credits) (Fall and Spring)
• ODS 911 Oral Pathology Journal Club (1 credit) (Fall)
• ODS 921  Oral Medicine Clinic (3 credits) (Fall and Spring)
• ODS 925  Advanced Oral Histopathology (2 credits) (2 credits) Microscopic examination of challenging and rare cases affecting the oral and paraoral region (Fall and Spring)
• ODS 960  Interpretation of Radiographic Imaging (1 credit) (Spring)

• (1-8 credits)

• ODS 971  Independent Study  Contemporary Imaging (1 credit) (Fall or Spring)

* Students may elect to take any of the courses announced in the University at Buffalo Graduate Courses Bulletin.

Mirdza E. Neiders, D.D.S., M.S.