Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology

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, with at least six of those months in ACGME-accredited pathology rotations. Applicants who have not graduated from an accredited US or Canadian dental school must demonstrate proficiency in English and have their transcripts evaluated by 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. 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. Such a program includes additional coursework and a thesis and may require additional time to complete the residency or academic degree.

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 or at UPMC-Montefiore Hospital. The School of Dental Medicine has a busy 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 hospitals.

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.A large part of the program is in managing and diagnosing biopsy cases at the School of Dental Medicine anatomic pathology (biopsy) service.

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/student to a large volume and a wide variety of experiences. Rotations include 12 weeks in head and neck anatomic pathology, 4 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 1 week 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

Research

Each resident is required to perform scholarly activity. This can include case reports of classic or unusual cases, clinicopathologic case challenges, and performing original research. The University of Pittsburgh, UPMC, and surrounding universities provide a vast array of opportunities for research. Faculty within the Pitt Dental Medicine Department of Diagnostic Sciences conduct research in areas including 3-D printing and imaging, oral and maxillofacial lesions, immunohistochemical studies of salivary and odontogenic tumors, and data mining of the dental health record.

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.