Program Learning Components

---

DIDACTIC CORE: 

  Biomedical sciences 

     (Inter-departmental didactics)

Year 1:

 - Functional oral anatomy

 - Advanced oral histology

 - General pathology

 - Advanced oral pathology

 - Oral microbiology and infections

 - Biostatistics

 - Epidemiology of oral disease

 - Dental pharmaco-therapeutics

 - Research methods in epidemiology

 - Biomaterials for dental graduates

  Clinical Sciences

     (Intra-departmental didactics)

Year 1, 2 & 3:

 - Basic graduate endodontics

 - Graduate literature review seminars

 - Current literature review seminars

 - Treatment plan case conferences / case presentations, and endodontics 

topics

• Preclinical Course

The techniques to be used in the clinic will be practiced on extracted teeth. These include the step-back, balanced force, nickel titanium rotary instrumentation, crown-down, lateral condensation, warm vertical technique, and others. The requirement for this course is to organize a pre-clinic portfolio, which consists of all treated cases with excellent radiographs in PowerPoint or Keynote programs. All teeth must be sectioned and photographed, and the same should be included in the preclinical portfolio. A total of 35 cases with various techniques will be requirement of the course completion. It is highly recommended that residents develop expertise in the newly introduced skills by practicing them first on as many extracted teeth as possible before applying them to patients.

• Microscope Training Course

The use of the surgical operating microscope is not optional in the program; it is mandatory for both non-surgical and surgical endodontics. In the first week of the class, the department staff, under the direction of the program director, will teach the use of the microscope. Residents must be familiar with the assembly and disassembly of the scope, as well as how to use the scope in various clinical situations. During routine clinic setup, the microscope must be assembled and ready for use.

• Clinical patient care commences in the first semester and continues throughout the program, encompassing all aspects of endodontic diagnosis, therapy, and prognosis. 
• Treatment is conducted in collaboration with other dental specialties and referring general dentists.
• Clinic Operational Hours align with those of other specialties working in the same center. 
• Patients are referred from other specialties at the center, polyclinics, private sector, and Kuwait University.
• A robust collaboration between the undergraduate clinic and the Endo-board program is essential for the referral of retreatment and cases deemed challenging for undergraduate residents. This collaboration can be facilitated through direct patient contact with the board center or the resident to set up appointments. The preference is to use electronic referral forms to leverage electronic charting at Kuwait University.
• Follow-ups: Clinical and radiographic follow-ups are crucial for determining the ultimate success or failure of a case. Residents must reevaluate completed cases annually. Additionally, they are required to follow up on selected cases from the recently graduated class. It is mandatory to recall all cases if possible.