UFCD Orthodontics: Admissions Information 

Application Requests
To request application forms or additional information, visit our admissions web page or contact:
Office of Admissions
University of Florida College of Dentistry
P.O. Box 100402
Gainesville, FL 32610-0402
e-mail: sposetti@dental.ufl.edu
fax: (352) 846-0311

Admission Procedures

Application Materials you will need:

1.National Dental Board Examination Scores.
Applicants should request the secretary of the National Board of Dental Examiners to forward scores of Parts I and/or II of the National Dental Boards. The National Board is located at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611.

2. Official Transcripts
Applicants should request the registrar of every school of higher learning the applicant has attended to forward an official transcript. Unofficial personal transcripts are not acceptable.

3. Letters of Reference
Three letters of reference are required; one must be from the dean of the applicant's dental school, and the other two letters should be completed by two dental school faculty members who are well acquainted with the applicant's work (such as the faculty advisor) or by individuals who can provide information relevant to the applicant's potential for success in the chosen field of training.

4. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Scores
Submission of GRE scores is mandatory. Applicants should write to the Graduate Record Examination, Educational Testing Service, P.O. Box 6000, Princeton, NJ 08541-6000 and request an Information and Registration Bulletin or see the GRE web site.

Foreign Students
In addition to the application materials listed in the preceding paragraph, students whose native language is not English must furnish proof of adequate English language skills by submission of scores on TOEFL (Testing of English as a Foreign Language) and the TSE (Test of Spoken English). The applicant should write TOEFL, Educational Testing Service, P.O. Box 6154, Princeton, NJ 08541-6154, U.S.A., requesting a Bulletin of Information and registration form. Certification must be on file before an application can be reviewed. Foreign applicants must submit successful scores on Parts I and II of the National Board Examination to be considered. Applicants should use institutional code #5812 for reporting TOEFL scores.

Applicants must possess a D.D.S. or D.M.D. from a dental school accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. Applicants having degrees from dental institutions not accredited by the American Dental Association's Council on Dental Education will be considered for admission only after it has been determined that their academic backgrounds are equivalent to requirements established by the Council on Dental Education. Since admission to advanced education must be limited, we can encourage only applicants who rank near the top of their classes and who have received (from most universities) the equivalent of First Class Honors.

Graduates of foreign dental schools must supply official academic records corresponding to the transcripts issued in the United States (certificates, mark sheets, study lists, examination results) from dental schools and all other colleges and universities attended. An official record is a copy of an original document certified by an official of the school issuing the original document, by an official of the American Embassy, the Institute of International Education, or the American Friends of the Middle East.

All transcripts, certificates, and diplomas from nonaccredited programs must be translated and certified in a detailed report by Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc., P.O. Box 9270, Milwaukee, WI 53202-0970. A foreign student currently registered in a college in the United States may have a copy of his/her official records certified by the registrar of that college. Certification from any person other than the officials listed above will not be considered official and cannot be used as a basis for admission.

Postdoctoral Dental Matching Program
This program provides a computerized service matching preferred applicants to their desired programs. Participation in this program is mandatory by contractual agreement for applicants to this program. If you have not yet received an Applicant Agreement for the program and materials describing it, you should write to National Matching Services, 595 Bay Street, Suite 300, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M56 C2C.

Application Deadline
Application forms and all supporting information must be on file with the College of Dentistry by October 1 of the year preceding the starting date of the program. The admissions committee makes the initial selection of applicants based on a thorough review of the credentials of each applicant. The initial selections are reviewed by the Committee and approximately 25 candidates are invited to interview. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Interviews
The Committee on Advanced Education will request an interview only after it has determined that the applicant is qualified. Interviews ordinarily are completed by early November. New residents matriculate on or around July 1 each year.

Conditions of Enrollment
Upon matriculation into any of the advanced dental education programs, students must provide a photocopy of their D.D.S. or D.M.D. degree awarded by their respective university. All matriculating students also must furnish verification of successful completion of Parts I and II of the National Dental Board examinations, and Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores. In addition, final dental school transcripts (for pending dental degree applicants), current proof of Basic Life Support certification, and copies of all current state dental licenses must be provided. Students must sign and return the attached letter of commitment and verification of any malpractice proceedings brought against them, together with all appropriate documentation.

Duration of Appointment and Conditions for Reappointment
The initial appointment and renewable periods are indicated in the letter of appointment. It is anticipated that a resident will remain in the prescribed course of his/her residency until completion of this time. However, it is understood that appointments are renewed annually and that continued retention in the training program depends on satisfactory performance/training progress, including adherence to acceptable professional behavior, as well as requisite funding for the program. A resident's reappointment and progression to more advanced levels will be based on the results of periodic reviews of the resident's educational and professional achievement, competence and progress as determined by the program director and teaching faculty. The program maintains a confidential record of evaluations.

Medical Requirements/Immunizations
Prior to enrollment, all advanced education students are required to have documentation of immunity to measles, mumps, hepatitis B, rubella and varicella (chicken pox), and to have an annual tuberculosis skin test. All advanced education students shall be required to comply with the infection control policies and procedures of the facilities where their rotation occurs.

Disclosure of Infectious Disease Status The college requires all advanced education students who suspect or know themselves to be positive for certain infectious diseases to disclose that information to the Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs upon admission to the college or when first suspected or confirmed. The infectious diseases to be reported include, but are not limited to: Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Tuberculosis and sexually transmitted diseases, with the exception of HIV disease. While Florida statutes 760.37 and 760.50 prohibit interference, coercion, intimidation or discrimination on the basis of HIV seropositivity, CDC guidelines state that HIV or HBV positive dentists should seek counsel from an expert panel. Therefore, in compliance with these guidelines, students who are HIV antibody positive are encouraged to reveal seropositivity status and seek counseling. Information pertaining to the health status of each individual is maintained strictly confidential.

Resident Responsibilities
The position of resident involves a combination of supervised, progressively more complex and independent patient evaluation, management functions and formal educational activities. Among a resident's responsibilities in a training program at the University are the following:
1) To meet the qualifications for resident eligibility outlined in Specialty Guidelines of the American Dental Association's Council on Dental Accreditation;

2) To develop a personal program of self-study and professional growth with guidance from the teaching staff;

3) To provide safe, effective and compassionate patient care, commensurate with the resident's level of advancement, responsibility and competence, under the general supervision of appropriately privileged attending teaching staff;

4) To engage in full participation in the educational activities of the program and, as required, assume the responsibility for teaching and supervising other residents and students;

5) To participate in institutional orientation and educational programs and other activities involving the clinical staff;

6) To submit to the program director confidential written evaluations of the faculty and the educational experiences;

7) To participate in institutional committees and councils to which the resident is appointed or invited, especially those that relate to patient care review activities, and participation in institutional programs and activities involving the staff;

8) To adhere to established practices, procedures, policies and rules of the University or of affiliated institutions as applicable, including among others, state licensure requirements training where these exist

9) To develop an understanding of ethical, communication, socioeconomic and medical/legal issues that affect graduate dental education and practice;

10) To apply cost effective patient care.