November 3, 2020 — Englewood Health has launched a dental residency program for newly graduated dentists. Accredited by the Commission of Dental Accreditation, the one-year general dentistry residency offers residents supervised hands-on training, instruction, and clinical rotations in both inpatient and outpatient settings, while providing patients with both surgical and restorative services. Upon completion of the program, dental residents are prepared to provide oral health care independently in the community for a wide range of patients.
“This is an important and much-needed service for our community,” says John Minichetti, DMD, chief of dentistry at Englewood Health and program director of the Dental Residency Program. “In addition to training the next generation of dentists, our new dental clinic offers patients top-notch care, provided by well-trained residents under the supervision of highly regarded dentists from our community, regardless of income.”
Training Program for New Dentists
Launched in September, the dental residency program accepts three dental residents each year, with one resident continuing for a second year as program facilitator. Each of Englewood Health’s dental residents has completed a four-year dental school program, graduating with a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or Doctor of Medical Dentistry (DMD) degree. The program is supervised and taught by a volunteer faculty of 16 private-practice dentists from throughout northern New Jersey.
As part of their training, residents complete clinical rotations through Englewood Hospital’s anesthesia, emergency medicine, internal medicine, pathology, and radiology departments, as well as a rotation at the oral maxillofacial surgery trauma center at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson, where they participate in multidisciplinary care.
In addition to general dentistry training, the program provides the dental residents with a one-year, 300-hour implantology course, given on weekends, where they learn to perform implant surgery and prosthetic rehabilitation.
Dental Clinic for Underserved Patients in the Englewood Community
A newly established outpatient dental clinic, located at North Hudson Community Action Corporation (a federally qualified health center) on South Van Brunt Street in Englewood, staffed by the dental residents and supervised by the faculty members, is open for appointments Monday through Friday. The facility has four treatment rooms and state-of-the-art equipment, including an advanced CTCB scanner and digital imaging. The dental clinic provides:
- a full range of general dentistry services
- availability to everyone in the community, based on need
- safe care for medically compromised patients
- consultative services for Englewood Hospital patients, including inpatient medical and surgical, radiation oncology, cardiology, and emergency medicine
Services offered in the outpatient dental clinic include:
- oral examinations
- cleanings
- extractions
- root canals
- crowns
- implants
- dentures
- operating room dentistry for patients who are dentophobia, medically compromised patients, special needs patients, and some pediatric patients
- pediatric dentistry
- specialized care for patients with special needs, including autism spectrum disorder
In addition to outpatient services, Englewood Health’s Department of Dentistry now provides hospital inpatient consultations and care for toothache, broken dentures, and other conditions. Consultative services are provided by dentistry residents under the supervision of attending dentists, including in radiation oncology, cardiology, and emergency medicine.
“Dental health is intrinsic to overall health and well-being,” says Dr. Minichetti. “Our team is restoring patients’ oral health by eliminating pain, enabling them to eat properly and more nutritiously, and improving their appearance—all of which ultimately can impact socialization, job opportunities, and overall functioning in society.”
He adds, “Prevention is essential. Dental conditions such as gum disease can lead to tooth loss and jawbone deterioration; they can also be a risk factor for heart and systemic disease. A history of smoking can lead to oral cancers that might go unidentified. It’s important not to neglect one’s teeth and gums.”
“With the dental residency program, new dentists gain experience in both inpatient and outpatient settings and, as a health care system, we ensure that everyone in our community has access to high-quality, affordable dental care.”
For more information on Englewood Health’s Dental Clinic, call 201-537-4442.