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.
The application cycle is now closed.
On this page:
Domestic and internationally-trained dentists are eligible to apply to this program.
The University sets general admissions requirements for graduate study. These include letters of recommendation; a minimum undergraduate GPA; and demonstration of English Language proficiency for international applicants. Please refer to the General Admissions Requirements page for full details.
Program-specific requirements are described on this page.
About the Program
The clinical phase of the Periodontics program is offered in conjunction with either of two research programs: Periodontics/M.S. in Oral Sciences or Periodontics/Ph.D. in Oral Biology. Admission to these dual programs is highly competitive and early application is recommended.
The Periodontics Clinical Advanced Education Program must be conducted concurrently with either the MS or PhD program in the Department of Oral Biology. If admitted into the Periodontics program, the applicant will be required to submit a completed application to either the Oral Sciences masters or Oral Biology doctoral program by the specified application deadline; acceptance into either research program is a separate process.
When reviewing candidate applications, the faculty selection committee uses a holistic admissions process. The Periodontics admissions committee is most interested in a candidate's:
- Previous academic performance
- Letters of recommendation
- Personal statement: The personal statement should demonstrate the applicant’s ability to discuss their desire to participate in our program, and show a depth of understanding of the specialty, as well as passion for the field of dentistry and academics.
Students who wish to combine their Periodontics training with the MS in Oral Sciences must submit a separate application to the master's program. Selecting this combination typically requires three years of full-time study.
Students who wish to combine their Periodontics training with the PhD in Oral Biology must submit a separate application to the doctoral program. Selecting this combination typically requires five or six years of full-time study.
The program in periodontics is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation and has been granted the accreditation status of accredited without reporting requirements. The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at (312) 440-4653 or at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611. The Commission’s web address is www.ada.org/en/coda.
Professors
Robert Schifferle, DDS, MMSc , PhD
Professor
Department of Periodontics and Endodontics; Department of Oral Biology
Associate Professors
Clinical Professors
Christopher Heard
Clinical Professor
Department of Periodontics and Endodontics
Michael Levine
Clinical Professor
Department of Periodontics and Endodontics
Clinical Assistant Professors
Anna Paritsky, DMD
Clinical Assistant Professor
Department of Periodontics and Endodontics
Amarpreet Sabhavwal
Clinical Assistant Professor
Department of Periodontics and Endodontics
Phone: (716) 829-3845
Email: amarpree@buffalo.edu
(L-R) Dr. Rayan Alsuwailem, Dr. Omar Glover, Dr. Dam Soh, Dr. Layla Arab, Dr. Laura Cavallari, Director Dr. Lisa Yerke, Dr. Sawsan Almawla, Dr. Maryam Razmi, Dr. Marah Damdoum, Dr. Yahya Atassi, Dr. Isolde Rojas, and Dr. Saif Haif
Our residents train together and come from a variety of backgrounds and institutions. We typically accept two to three new students each year.
Required Clinical Courses for all Periodontics Postgraduate Residents
- PER 912 Advanced Periodontics Clinic (6 credit hours per semester; 6 semesters)
- PER 930 Supervised Teaching in Periodontics (1 credit hour per semester; 3 clinic hours/week; 4 semesters)
- PER 907 Current Methods in Hospital Dental Anesthesia (4 credit hours; 4 semesters)
Required Clinical Sciences Didactic Courses for all Periodontics Postgraduate Residents (Continuous Registration):
- PER 603 Seminars in Periodontal Biology (2 credits)
- (length of program / one cycle of 6 semesters)
- PER 914 Postgraduate Treatment Planning (1 credit; 6 semesters)
- PER 916 Conjoint Clinical Sciences (0.5 credits; 6 semesters)
- PER 917 Critical Analysis of Literature in Periodontics (1 credit; 6 semesters)
- CLD 946 Implant Dentistry for Postdoctoral Students (1.5 credits; 2 semesters)
- CLD 947 Seminars in Implant Dentistry (0.5 credit; 4 semesters)
- CLD 950 Interdisciplinary Patient Care Seminars (0.5 credits; 6 semesters)
Required Clinical Sciences Didactic Course for all Periodontics Postgraduate Residents (First Year Only):
- PER 910 Advanced Periodontics Tutorial (1 credit; 2 semesters)
- RDN 921 Digital Dental Technology (2 credits; 1 semester)
Required Clinical Sciences Didactic Courses for all Periodontics Postgraduate Residents (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 Diagnosis Oral Medicine (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 credit; Fall semester)
- OS 518 Biostatistics/Biostatistics Laboratory (4 credits) or STA527 for students accepted Fall 2022 and after
- 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)
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
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, 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.
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.
The Advanced Education overview page provides information about the Cost of Attendance.
Additional Expenses
Applications must be completed by August 1st of the year prior to admission (i.e. August 1, 2022 for Fall 2023 admission).
The program does not participate in the national PASS or Match programs.
To apply, please submit all documents listed below. Your application will not be complete until these items have been received and you have submitted your application for formal review.
Required (All candidates applying via the UB Application)
1. The On-line UB Application
- Please complete all questions on the application completely and accurately.
- You must select your desired entry term (i.e. Fall 2024) and intended program of study as you begin the application.
- The personal information section of the application provides special instructions for international applicants; be certain to following instructions on how to accurately enter your name.
2. $50.00 non-refundable application fee
- Once you have submitted your online application for review, you will be able to pay the application fee by credit/debit card. Your application cannot be reviewed until the fee has been paid. Please note that the $50 application fee is non-refundable.
3. CV/Resume (upload to application)
4. Personal Statement (upload to application)
5. Letters of Recommendation
- Two letters of recommendation and a Dean's letter (if graduated from a US or Canadian dental school), otherwise three letters of recommendation.
- Recommendation letters must be uploaded electronically by your recommenders.
- You will submit names, titles and email addresses for three recommenders. They will receive an email request to electronically submit a letter on your behalf. The notification is traditionally sent to recommenders after the application is submitted for review. However, you can opt to have the email requests sent immediately as you enter recommender names; this option is suggested for candidates who are applying close to the application deadline to ensure sufficient time for upload.
6. Unofficial transcripts from EVERY college/university attended
- Transcript copies are accepted at the time of application and should be uploaded via the secure applicant portal. Do not mail original documents to us at the time of application unless specifically requested. If you are accepted into the program you will be asked to submit original transcripts with proper signatures, seals or stamps.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Academic documents from international institutions must be accompanied an ECE or WES document. Transcripts in a language other than English, require an exact, certified translation; an ECE course-by-course report is preferred. International applicants please include copy of certificate/diploma with proof of degree.
7. Unofficial GRE Score (if applicable)
- The GRE is required for application to the MS program in Orthodontics.
8. Unofficial NBDE Scores (optional)
- Unofficial scores from the National Board of Dental Examination Part I and/or Part II; required for all programs using the PASS application. Note: PASS candidates who take the iNBDE during their final year of dental training should provide the intended test date; scores must be submitted before a formal offer of admission is granted.
- The NBDE is optional for all non-PASS programs.
Additional Requirements — International Applicants
In addition to the requirements listed above, please provide the following information on the ADEA PASS Application:
English Language Proficiency | ADEA PASS Application
International applicants must report a TOEFL score (79+) obtained within eighteen months of the application deadline; unoffocial score reports are sufficient.
NOTE: An official score report is not required; please do not send directly to the school.
Upon acceptance into the program, you will be asked to submit a copy of your passport along with financial documents. F1 and I-20 documents will also be requested, as applicable.
* All documents become property of the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine and are not returnable to the applicant.
Fall 2023 Applicants — Important Dates
| Step | Date(s) |
|---|---|
| Applications Accepted | May 12 - August 1, 2022 |
| Interviews | Rolling after review of complete applications |
| Acceptance Notices Sent | To be determined |
A limited number of positions are available each year; early application is highly recommended.
The program is unable to accommodate interview or tour requests prior to Admissions Committee review.
Questions?
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