University at Buffalo (UB)
Periodontics Certificate
The Advanced Education Program in Periodontics is research-oriented and has trained clinician-scientists for careers in academia, research, teaching, or industry for more than 40 years.
FALL 2025 ENROLLMENT | Applications accepted May 8 - August 1, 2024
Program Director
Lisa Yerke, DDS MS
Department of Periodontics and Endodontics, 250 Squire Hall
lmyerke@buffalo.edu
Faculty and Curriculum
Faculty at UB's School of Dental Medicine are committed to providing students an inclusive and diverse learning environment and promoting improvements to oral health, not only at our school, but worldwide. Our highly trained faculty, innovative curriculum, and clinic experience are among the top reasons our students choose our school. Program faculty include individuals from the department and faculty from across the school.
Course options will be determined in conjunction with the Program Director to accommodate the individual needs and research goals of the student.
Research Ethics / CITI training
All students must obtain training through the CITI training program offered through the University at Buffalo:
https://www.buffalo.edu/research/research-services/training/compliance-training.html
The following modules must be completed with a score of 80% or higher:
- Conflict of Interest (COI) training
- Biomedical Research Investigators
- Good Clinical Practice (GCP)
- Social Behavioral Research Investigators
- Social and Behavioral Responsible Conduct of Research
Completion certificates must be emailed to the Director prior to the start of the program.
Basic Sciences Courses | Periodontics/Ph.D or Periodontics/M.S.
Additional in-depth didactic training in; 1) Immunology, 2) Molecular Biology and Genetics, 3) Microbiology and Microbial Physiology, and 4) Biochemistry and Cellular Biology is a requirement of the Advanced Education Program in Periodontics. This training will be provided through comprehensive, graduate level courses in consultation with each student’s graduate (Ph.D. / M.S.) and thesis committees.
Students have the freedom to choose among the various courses in each of those subjects that may be offered by the School of Dental Medicine, the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, School of Public Health and Health Professions, Roswell Park Memorial Institute, Kaleida Health System/Buffalo General Hospital, and other graduate Departments. Review of course syllabi, where indicated, and approval of the selection of basic science courses will be performed after consideration of each student’s research program, research interests, and performance. Approval of each basic science course must be obtained from the Program Director for fulfillment of clinical program basic sciences requirements.
Please note that while matriculating for a graduate degree, the requirements of such programs will have course requirements that are distinct from those noted above; in some cases, there will be overlap.
Examples of basic science courses that may be considered are as follows:
Immunology
- MIC 512 Fundamentals of Immunology (4 credits)
- OS 504 Oral Immunology (2 credits)
Molecular Biology and Genetics
- BIO 504 Advanced Molecular Genetics (4 credits)
- BIO 500 Bioinformatics and Genomic Analysis (4 credits)
- BCH 508 Gene Expression (2 credits)
- MIC 643 Molecular Virology (3 credits)
- PHC 517 Prin. Human Genome, Pharmacogenomics, and Bioinformatics (2 credits)
- BIO 501 Advanced Biological Chemistry (4 credits)
- BCH 508 Gene Expression/Genomics/Bioinformatics (2 credits)
- ORB 509 Biochemistry and Genetics of Oral Diseases (2 credits)
Microbiology and Microbial Physiology
- ORB 517 Oral Microbial Ecology (2 credits)
- MIC 502 Medical and Oral Microbiology (3 credits)
- MIC 647 Microbial Pathology and Immunobiology (3 credits)
- MIC 624 Modern Topics in Bacterial Pathogenesis (2 credits)
- MIC 501 Graduate Microbiology (6 credits)
Biochemistry (with Molecular Biology) and Cellular Biology
- BMS 501 Cellular Biology I (4 credits)
- ORB 500 Bioengineering in Dentistry (2 credits)
- PMY 550 Receptor Pharmacology (2 credits)
- BCH 503 Biochemical Principles (4 credits)
- ORB 510 Saliva and Salivary Glands in Health and Disease (2 credits)
- BIO 505 Advanced Cellular and Developmental Biology (4 credits)
- BMS 503 Principles of Biochemistry (4 credits)
- BCH 512 Developmental Genomics (2 credits)
- BCH 507 Protein Structure/Function/Proteomics/Bioinformatics (2 credits)
Research and Laboratory
- PER/ORB 651 Research
- PER/ORB 651 Thesis Guidance
- ORB 519 Critical Analysis of Literature in Oral Biology (for Ph.D. students)
- OS 512 Research Design (for M.S. students)
Please note that while matriculating for a graduate degree, the requirements of such programs will have course requirements that are distinct from those noted above; in some cases, there will be overlap.
Required Clinical Courses for all Periodontics Postgraduate Students
PER 912: Advanced Periodontics Clinic (6 credit hours per semester; 6 semesters)
PER 930: Supervised Teaching in Periodontics (1-2 credit hours per semester; 3-6 hours per week; continuous enrollment following the PGY1 year)
PER 907: Current Methods in Hospital Dental Anesthesia (4 credit hours; 4 semesters)
Required Clinical Sciences Didactic Courses for all Periodontics Postgraduate Student (Continuous Registration):
PER 603: Seminars in Periodontal Biology (2 credits; minimum of 6 semesters/ length of program)
PER 914: Postgraduate Treatment Planning (1 credit; minimum of 6 semesters/ length of program)
PER 916: Conjoint Clinical Sciences (0.5 credits; minimum of 6 semesters/ length of program)
PER 917: Critical Analysis of Literature in Periodontics (1 credit; minimum of 6 semesters/ length of program)
PER 919: Advanced Periodontal Surgery (1 credit; minimum of 6 semesters/ length of program)
PER 921: Comprehensive Periodontal Treatment Planning (2 credits; 2 semesters)
CLD 946: Implant Dentistry for Postdoctoral Students (2 credits; 2 semesters)
CLD 947: Seminars in Implant Dentistry (2 credits; 4 semesters)
CLD 950: Interdisciplinary Patient Care Seminars (0.5 credits; 6 semesters)
Required Clinical Sciences Didactic Course for all Periodontics Postgraduate Students (First Year Only):
PER 910: Advanced Periodontics Tutorial (1 credit; 2 semesters)
PER 671 RO: Applied Epidemiology for Periodontology (3 credits, 1 semester, Spring; odd years starting Spring 2025; new course number pending)
PER 671NA: Periodontal and Dental Technologies (2 credits; 1 semester, Spring; even years; new course number pending)
RDN 921: Digital Dental Technology (2 credits; 2 semesters)
ODS 915: Introduction to CBCT in Dentistry (0.5 credits; Fall semester)
Required Clinical Sciences Didactic Courses for all Periodontics Postgraduate Students (Ph.D. students or those with a Ph.D. pursuing a postdoctoral research program may enroll in alternate or substitute courses in lieu of the courses below with approval from the Program Director) (One-time Registration):
PER 978: Seminar in Dental Pharmacology (0.5 credit)
ORB 545: Dynamics of Bone (2.0 credits)
ORB 522: Scientific Writing (1 credit; Fall semester)
ORB 500: Oral Dev, Pathobiology and Tissue Eng (2 credits; Fall semester)
ORB 510/OS 504: Saliva and the Oral Microbiome (4 credits; Spring semester)
ODS 514: Anatomy and Physiology of the Masticatory System (3.0 credits)
ODS 972: Oral Medicine Diagnosis and Management (1 credit; Fall semester)
ODS 535: Advanced Oral Pathology (2 credits; Spring semester)
OS 502: Physiology of Pain (2 credit; Spring semester)
OS 506: Biomaterials (1 credit; Fall semester)
OS 510: Research Seminar (1 credit; Fall semester)
OS 512: Research Design (2 credits; Fall semester)
OS 518: Biostatistics/Biostatistics Laboratory (4 credits) or STA527 (preferred)
CLD 555: Head and Neck Anatomy (1 credit; Spring semester)
RDN 936: Periodontal Prosthetics (1 credit; Spring semester)
RDN 905: Restorative Dental Implants (1 credit; Fall semester)
ORT 957: Perio-Ortho (.5 credits; Spring semester)