The Department of Restorative Dentistry (Operative and Prosthodontics) presents the concepts and principles that deliver dental healthcare that restores the oral cavity to optimum health. Our Department’s responsibilities entail the instruction and evaluation of pre-doctoral students during all four years of their matriculation, equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and judgment necessary for the restoration of a physiologically and esthetically healthy dentition.

To this end, the specific goals of the Restorative Dentistry Department are to:

• Develop capable and confident general dentists who have a broad perspective in the field of restorative dentistry.
• Impress upon students the significance of oral conditions in relation to patient overall health and disease.
• Instill in students the necessity of being astute to advancements and changes in the field of dentistry, especially restorative dentistry.
• Instill in students the need for an evidenced-based practice.
• Engender an appreciation for ethics and professionalism in the practice of dentistry.

We accomplish these goals through six main areas of instruction and training:

1. Fixed Prosthodontics
2. Removable Prosthodontics
3. Operative Dentistry
4. Dental Anatomy and Occlusion
5. Biodental Material Science
6. Dental Biomaterial Science

Students receive instruction in dental biomaterials; pre-clinical restorative procedures that include caries detection and removal, cavity design, restorative materials selection, operative dentistry, and fixed/removable prosthodontic concepts. The department also correlates the diagnoses and treatment of caries, trauma or pathosis of the dentition as it relates to the various basic sciences and other disciplines of dentistry.

Restoration of the occlusion is included as part of the prosthodontic studies, which encompasses the anatomical, physiological, and bio-mechanical relationships of the total masticatory system; the restoration and reproduction of occlusal relationships to their proper function in the system; and the examination procedures that allow proper diagnosis and treatment of the pathologic or dysfunctional states.