Pediatric Dentistry

Prospective students must apply through ADEA PASS and register with the National Matching Services. Our application deadline is September 15th of the year prior to the program’s start date. 

In addition to the standard ADEA PASS application, we offer applicants the opportunity to submit a video essay to enhance your application. You can learn more about the video essay by reading the video essay instructions sheet. 

Interviews are extended to competitive candidates immediately following our application deadline.  The 2020, 2021, and 2022 interviews were held via Zoom. The fall 2023 interviews are planned to be held in person at the University of Minnesota. To answer common questions about the residency program, Dr. Jeff Karp, our residency director, hosts monthly 75-minute Q&A sessions via Zoom videoconferencing. Here is the registration form for sessions held during the 2023 calendar year. 

Designed in accordance with American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry guidelines, the residency includes didactic curriculum, clinical training, medical rotations, research, teaching, and advocacy experiences. Residents learn from experts in the School of Dentistry, the Department of Pediatrics at the School of Medicine, and talented clinicians from the local pediatric healthcare community. 

Residents practice at the University of Minnesota Pediatric Dental Clinic Made Possible by Delta Dental of Minnesota, where they treat infants, children, adolescents, and individuals with special health care needs. Residents care for patients with conditions including the following:

• chronic diseases of childhood
• congenital heart disease
• blood and solid organ cancers
• disorders treated with bone marrow therapies
• genetic syndromes
• physical, intellectual, and neurodevelopmental disabilities
• cleft and craniofacial differences
• psychiatric, mood, emotional and behavioral conditions. 

Residents provide preventive, diagnostic, restorative, orthodontic, endodontic, prosthodontic, periodontal and surgical pediatric dental services in this clinic. The residency clinic offers treatment with nitrous oxide oxygen analgesia as well as various types of moderate sedation. Dental rehabilitation cases under general anesthesia are performed at the M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital. 

Pediatric medicine, interdisciplinary team care, growth and development, clinical pediatric dentistry and advocacy are emphasized throughout the training experience. First year residents complete medical rotations in emergency medicine and hospital pediatric medicine at the M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital. They also rotate to Children’s Minnesota for their 4-week anesthesiology rotation. Second year residents complete rotations with the Autism and Neurodevelopmental Clinic, the interdisciplinary clinics at Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, and the oral maxillofacial surgery clinic at the School of Dentistry. Second year residents also staff the cleft palate clinic at the School of Dentistry and teach dental education students in the predoctoral pediatric dentistry clinic. First and second year pediatric dental residents provide pediatric dental services at the Community University Health Care Center, a federally qualified health center and a department within the University of Minnesota Office of Academic Clinical Affairs.

Research projects are completed through structured mentorship by experienced research scholars from the program’s faculty as well as collaborators across the Health Sciences. Residents are expected to present their research findings in a public forum and are encouraged to conduct research worthy of presentation at national meetings and publication in peer reviewed journals.

Senior pediatric dental residents participate in the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Public Policy Conference in Washington, D.C. They also attend the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Annual Session.