Lasting Impressions | Fall 2016

8 © NSU LASTING IMPRESSIONS concentration from Rutgers School of Dental Medicine in Newark, New Jersey. is hands-on experience was one of the rst involvements Ambrose had with dental neglect. She is hoping to be accepted into the College of Dental Medicine’s postgraduate periodontics program. LEARN BY DOING “It is really fascinating to see them learn- ing,” said Hernandez about the students’ hands-on experience. “Many of them do decide to apply to our specialty.” Hernandez also said that when the students do rotations in the postgraduate clinic, which is part of the third-year course curriculum, that’s when things really come together. “What an eye-opener for them,” she added. “ ey are fascinated, because everything they have been learning in the didactic courses—such as how to do a surgery, how to raise a ap, how to take out a tooth, how to place an implant—they nally get to see it. is is real life.” In May 2016, Kyle B. DeLuca became chief resident within the Department of Periodontology—a role that he “takes great pride in.” e role of chief resident contributes to the strength of the advanced education in the periodontics specialty program. DeLuca, who received his Doctor of Dental Medicine from NSU’s College of Dental Medicine, is now in his third year as a postgraduate resident in the periodontics special education program. While always interested in the general practice of dent- istry, the signi cance of the periodontics specialty really took hold during DeLuca’s predoctoral education. His interest in dental surgery occurred while he was with his mother, Helena A. DeLuca, D.M.D., who has a practice in Sunrise, Florida. “Prior to starting dental school, I was shadowing my mother, along with a local periodontist,” he said. “ en, as my education progressed and I learned more about the specialty, I really began to appreciate the scienti c and technical nature of periodontology.” While in the dental program, DeLuca assisted in the postgraduate periodontics clinic and attended residents’ seminars. “I even spent my spring break interning with the program in my third year,” he said of the experience that allowed him to see the depth and variety of the procedures being performed and become acquainted with the faculty members. “I knew I wanted to be part of the department.” Now his mother’s practice will gain a periodontist. DeLuca plans to join the Sunrise o ce part time a er he receives his specialty degree, while also working with other dentists’ practices for their periodontal and implant needs. In the United States, periodontics was o cially recog- nized as a dental specialty in 1947, according to the Ameri- can Association of Dental Schools. e rst university-based programs for the training of specialists in periodontics were established at Columbia University, the University of Michigan, and Tu s University in the late 1940s. Within the next decade, one-year programs expanded into two- year programs. Not surprisingly, periodontics has changed in the almost 70 years since its founding. Currently, more than 50 university- and hospital-based graduate periodontics programs are located within the United States. All of these programs are three years in length, and graduates receive a certi cate in the specialty of periodontics. e CDM’s Department of Periodontology also has a predoctoral honors program for fourth-year students interested in continuing their studies in the specialty. Saltz and Ambrose are currently honors students in this course. “We usually take only ve to six students,” said Hernan- dez. “ ey must be in the top 50 percent of the class and be in good standing. ey also must have a special interest and motivation in the surgical aspect of periodontal therapy. Continued from page 6