Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology

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COVID-19 Notice 

All interviews for the residency will be performed remotely (virtually). UPMC/Pitt Dental Medicine Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology will arrange half-day morning or half-day afternoon interview sessions through Zoom on a rolling basis. In-person visits, such as externships are welcomed, but may not be used as an interview. 

Program Description 

The certificate program is a minimum 36-month advanced education program in the dental specialty of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology (OMFP), located at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine. Applicants who have not graduated from an accredited US or Canadian dental school must demonstrate proficiency in English and have their transcripts evaluated by one of a specified independent evaluating agency. Residents may elect to pursue only the certificate program, whose requirements are identical to those of the fully-accredited Advanced Education Program in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology located at UPMC Presbyterian-Montefiore Hospital.  Successful completion of the program will lead to a certificate in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology and will qualify the graduate to sit for the specialty board examination in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. In addition, residents may opt to pursue a concurrent Master of Dental Science at the School of Dental Medicine. 

The program offers a mix of didactic courses, electives, microscopic general and oral pathology, clinical oral pathology, oral and maxillofacial radiology, head and neck pain, hospital rotations, and research. Clinical patients are seen at the School of Dental Medicine. The School of Dental Medicine has an active anatomic pathology (biopsy) service. Abundant research opportunities are available within the School of Dental Medicine, in other graduate schools of the University, and in UPMC clinics and laboratories. A significant portion of the residency is devoted to rotations at UPMC-Presbyterian University Hospital Department of Pathology. Rotations include head and neck pathology, hematopathology-lymph node, thoracic pathology, autopsy, bone and soft tissue pathology, dermatopathology, molecular and genomic pathology, and pediatric pathology. The program is designed to allow some flexibility for the resident to concentrate on a particular area of oral and maxillofacial pathology.

Residents in the certificate program may also elect to pursue a Master of Dental Science (MDS) degree. Such a program includes additional coursework and a thesis, and may require additional time to complete the residency or academic degree.

Please visit dental.pitt.edu/omp-residency to see video tours of the department, videos from the program director and residents, and videos about UPMC and the UPMC residency programs listed below. 

Curriculum

Faculty members are certified by their specialty boards of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Oral Medicine, or Anatomic Pathology, and possess a wide range of clinical, teaching, research, and surgical pathology experience.  The residency program offers a mix of didactic courses, electives, microscopic general and oral pathology, clinical oral pathology, oral and maxillofacial radiology, hospital rotations, and research. Clinical patients are seen at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine and though the faculty practice plan at the University Dental Health Services, Inc., as well as during the rotation in dermatopathology.

Rotations

Most pathology rotations take place at UPMC-Presbyterian Hospital, in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh, across the street from the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine. UPMC is a major regional, tertiary care and transplant center that will expose the resident to a large volume and a wide variety of experiences. Rotations include 12 weeks in head and neck anatomic pathology, 6 weeks in dermatopathology, 4 weeks in hematopathology-lymph node, 2 weeks in molecular and genomic pathology, 2 weeks in bone and soft tissue pathology, 4 weeks in pediatric pathology, and 2 weeks in autopsy, with additional opportunities in gastrointestinal pathology (“GI quicks”), thoracic pathology, surgical breast pathology, pathology informatics, or research. The program allows some flexibility for the resident to concentrate on a particular area of oral and maxillofacial pathology.

More information including requirements and making an application to the program are available by visiting dental.pitt.edu/omp-residency

The program in dental education is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at 312-440-4653, or at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60611. The Commission’s web address is http://www.ada.org/100.aspx.