Pediatric Dentistry—
‘filling the gap’
Last year, 35% (or 162,000) of all
patients treated by LMC Dental were
seen by Pediatric Dentistry (PEDO)
residents. In the 2013/2014 residency
year, our PEDO program saw the
addition of an entirely new region
for LMC Dental—residents began
training in Springfield, Missouri
as of July 1, 2013. Our growth
continued in 2014 with the addition
of a new CODA-approved training
site in Tampa, Florida and Phoenix,
Arizona bringing the total number
of partnered PEDO training sites to
14 throughout the United States,
Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the
Caribbean. Out of 1100 applicants,
our program was pleased to accept
50 PGY1 PEDO residents into our
two-year program on July 1, 2014
increasing the total number of PGY1
and PGY2 residents to 98, an increase
of 23% from the previous year.
All of our training sites are located
in underserved, culturally diverse
and impoverished communities.
Residents complete their training at
these sites, bringing vital services
to children of all ages who might
otherwise go without necessary
20
dental care—all while learning
the very special skills that PEDO
demands. I am proud to report that
over 90% of LMC Dental graduates
have passed the American Board of
Pediatric Dentistry written Qualifying
Examination which is 5% higher
than the national average; and
over 70% of LMC Dental graduates
have passed the American Board
of Pediatric Dentistry Oral Clinical
Examination and have obtained
Board Certified-Diplomate status
which is 5% higher than the national
average.
Our core values ensure that
residents train with LMC Dental
in all disciplines of dentistry—
including orthodontics, oral
surgery, periodontics, endodontics,
dental public health, and dental
anesthesia. Cases are often
complex, involving trauma, serving
patients with developmentally and
medically compromising conditions
uniquely associated with ethnically,
demographically, and socioeconomically diverse populations.
Daniel Kane, DMD, MA
Program Director, Pediatric Dentistry
Valerie Peckosh, DMD, ’99:
“If you are planning a
professional life in clinical
dentistry, nothing can replace a
broad range of actual chair side
experience in preparing you to
be the most effective, capable
clinician. “My LMC Dental
residency gave me extensive
clinical experience and a solid
and well-rounded clinical and
medical foundation. Through
collaboration with medical and
dental colleagues, I honed my
skills that now help me provide
the best care to patients with
even the most complex medical
conditions. I left the residency
with the confidence that I could
manage and treat any clinical
situation I may encounter.”