Orthodontic Residency

Program Overview

Program Director: Dr. Robert L. Vanarsdall
The two-year postdoctoral program in orthodontics integrates basic science and clinical orthodontics in a comprehensive curriculum, designed to develop clinically proficient specialists who possess a scholarly insight into orthodontic theory as it relates to patient care. While the basic science courses build upon residents' predoctoral knowledge of oral biology and related areas, the major part of the program consists of clinical education and training. Several popular corrective orthodontic regimens are taught, giving residents a thorough understanding of the respective merits of each treatment philosophy and the ability to apply them clinically. Since many corrective orthodontic problems involve adolescents, there is a strong emphasis on growth and development. A special Preventive and Interceptive Orthodontic Clinic, adjacent to Penn Dental Medicine's postdoctoral Orthodontic Clinic, allows residents to gain experience with the pre-adolescent. However, management of the adult patients is also emphasized through courses such as TMJ therapy and orthognathic surgery. Other highlights of the program include:

• Experience in interdisciplinary care of patients requiring complex restorative dentistry or advanced periodontal therapy. A combined faculty from fixed prosthetics and orthodontics presents a one-year course in occlusion.
• Participation in monthly rotations at the Craniofacial Clinic at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, exposing residents to craniofacial anomalies and treatment and the team approach involved in treating such conditions.
• Instruction in computer applications for diagnosis, treatment planning, and practice management.
• Presentation of a course in gross anatomy of the head and neck. Students undergo a ten-hour wet dissection with special emphasis devoted to the temporomandibular joint and its associated structures.

In addition, each resident must complete an investigative project for certification.