CAGS in Esthetic, Digital, and Operative Dentistry

The 24-month Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS) in Esthetic, Digital, and Operative Dentistry program offers advanced education in the conceptual, biological, and practical components of operative, esthetic, and digital dentistry.

The program includes training in basic sciences, biomaterials, lecture presentation, research methods, and the clinical aspects of restorative dentistry. Initial activities include lectures, seminars, and preclinical training with special emphasis on resin and porcelain systems.

The clinical component of the program emphasizes diagnosis and treatment planning, periodontal health, esthetic dentistry, and conventional and implant restorative procedures. Students will also have the opportunity to utilize the latest technology of CAD/CAM units and restorations. The program includes didactic and laboratory experiences that incorporate digital diagnostic and treatment planning techniques to provide comprehensive clinical treatment.

Graduates of this program will be well positioned to become leaders in the continued development and integration of digital techniques as a routine aspect of comprehensive patient care.

*The advanced Esthetic, Digital, and Operative Dentistry program is not an ADA-recognized specialty.

Learning Outcomes

Students will be proficient in:

  • esthetic, digital, and operative dentistry;
  • patient assessment, diagnosis, comprehensive treatment planning, patient management, and evaluation of progress and outcomes of treatment;
  • the design and fabrication of CAD/CAM, fixed, and removable restoratives;
  • the replacement of teeth using fixed and dental implants;
  • surgical placement planning for implants and fabrication of surgical guides;
  • the integration of basic scientific concepts and clinical dentistry to provide a diagnosis that considers patients’ biological and psychosocial needs, including those of patients who are medically compromised and/or have special needs;
  • the promotion of oral and systemic health and disease prevention;
  • the application of ethical reasoning and decisionmaking, and professional responsibility, related to academia, research, patient care, and practice management;
  • the review of relevant scientific literature;
  • and requesting, and responding to requests for, consultations from physicians and other healthcare providers.

Curriculum

Year 1

  • SDM EN 820 Endodontics and Pulpal Therapy for the General Practitioner
  • SDM OP 803 Seminar: Operative Dentistry
  • SDM OP 806 Digital Dentistry in Prosthodontics and Restorative Science
  • SDM OP 807 Preclinical Technique
  • SDM OP 835 Advanced Laboratory CAD/CAM Restoration
  • SDM OP 912 Clinical Esthetic, Digital, and Operative Dentistry I
  • SDM OP 915 Literature Review: Esthetic, Digital, and Operative Dentistry
  • SDM OS 761 Medical Concerns of the Dental Patient
  • SDM OS 828 Anxiety and Pain Control
  • SDM OS 831 Head and Neck Anatomy
  • SDM PA 801 Oral Pathology
  • SDM PE 764 Current Concepts in Periodontology
  • SDM PE 827 Applied Dental Pharmacology
  • SDM PH 763 Bioethics and Law
  • SDM PR 750 Preclinical Restorative
  • SDM PR 761 Occlusion
  • SDM PR 804 Case Presentation and Patient Care Conference
  • SDM PR 812 Prosthodontic Seminar and Literature Review
  • SDM PR 825 Postdoctoral Biomaterials
  • SDM PR 828 Esthetic Dentistry
  • SDM PR 844 Implantology Literature Review
  • SDM PR 845 Implantology Topics
  • SDM PR 852 Implantology Topics for the General Practitioner

Year 2

  • SDM OP 913 Clinical Esthetic, Digital, and Operative Dentistry II
  • SDM OP 916 Literature Review–Esthetic, Digital, and Operative Dentistry
  • SDM PR 810 Case Presentation and Patient Care Conference

Completion is not tracked by unit accumulation but by successful completion of individual courses and duration requirements.

Benefits

Personal Days

Students will be given a maximum of ten (10) personal days. These may be used for board exams, interviews, religious holidays, etc. There are no sick days. If a student is out due to illness, personal days will be deducted.

Holidays

There are 12 University-recognized holidays during which the school is closed.

Winter Intersession

Between the first and second terms there is an approximate two-week vacation for students. This usually begins mid-December and lasts until the first week of January.

Clinic Schedule

The clinic is open Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm and Monday through Thursday 5 pm to 7 pm. Students are scheduled in the clinic for a total of 40 hours with a rotating evening schedule. Students are currently required to work four days from 9 am to 5 pm and one day from 11 am to 7 pm. This schedule is subject to change. A student’s assigned clinic schedule will be influenced by academic classes, which can be scheduled before clinic hours (8–9 am), during clinic hours, or after clinic hours (until 7:30 pm).

Application Process Guidelines

Applicants will be reviewed by the director and the chairperson, who will decide whether the candidate will be selected for interview.

The applicant, if selected for interview, will meet with the program director and the chairperson of the department for interview.

All applications must be received by December 1 of the previous calendar year. All applications must be submitted through PASS.

The qualifications that the program is looking for include the following:

  • High GPA
  • High class standing
  • Four letters of recommendation including a letter from the dean of your dental school and three letters from clinical faculty
  • Clinical grades
  • Past clinical experience
  • Board scores are encouraged but not required

Additional Information

English Proficiency Requirement for International Applicants: TOEFL

International applicants must be proficient in the English language. Applicants whose first language is not English must submit a recent TOEFL score (TOEFL scores must be no more than two years old).

English Proficiency Requirements for Massachusetts Limited License

For Massachusetts licensure, if the student’s dental degree is from a school where instruction (written or oral) was in a language other than English, documentation of a TOEFL score or the Academic Format International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score must be submitted with the license application. The minimum Academic Format IELTS score acceptable for licensure in Massachusetts is 7.0. English proficiency requirements for licensure are different from Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine requirements. Results from IELTS will be considered for Massachusetts licensure, but IELTS is not accepted for program admissions consideration. The TOEFL is required for Boston University admissions consideration.

Higher TOEFL scores are required to obtain a Massachusetts Limited License than for admission. A Massachusetts Limited License is necessary for rotations at affiliated sites.

For Massachusetts licensure, the minimum overall TOEFL score is 90 on the internet-based exam (iBT), or 577 on the paper-based exam (TOEFL PBT). Furthermore, if a student has achieved an overall score of 90 but one of the TOEFL sections is deficient, the student will need to retake the TOEFL.

For licensure, the minimum overall iBT score is 90 and the minimum scores on the iBT sections are:

  • 25 Written
  • 24 Spoken
  • 21 Reading
  • 17 Listening

US Social Security Number

If accepted into the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Esthetic, Digital, and Operative Dentistry, you must obtain a US Social Security number prior to the start of the program.