The Department of Pediatric Dentistry is responsible for teaching dental students the fundamentals of oral health care for children. We do this through a series of didactic courses and a clinical course given during the senior year. Seniors provide oral health care for their child patients. They also provide care for children in outreach clinics.
The department also conducts a two-year residency program in the specialty. Two or three dentists are chosen each year to join the program. They provide care for children in a variety of settings, including the operating room at the Augusta University Children's Medical Center. At the conclusion of the program, they receive a certificate in pediatric dentistry and become specialists in the discipline. A Master of Science degree is an optional component of the program. The advanced education program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation.
Pediatric dentistry provides primary and comprehensive preventive and therapeutic oral health care for infants and children through adolescence, including those with special health care needs.
The mission of our dental student program is to provide to dental students the guidance, experience, and models necessary to begin delivery of competent primary oral health care for healthy children. Students will learn current scientifically-supported techniques and philosophies, and our teaching will be conducted in a collegial atmosphere conducive to student-faculty interaction. We will strive to instill in each student the desire to become lifelong learners of oral health care for children.
The Department of Pediatric Dentistry will be a model of excellence for the quality and innovation of its education programs, clinical services, and research at the Augusta University, in the Georgia state university system, and nationally among departments of pediatric dentistry. We will continually strive to exceed the expectations of our patients, students, residents, and other internal and external customers by constantly improving the services we provide with enthusiasm, teamwork, and creativity.