Postgraduate Training in General Dentistry in The United States - Application Process

Application Process

Applications are generally filled out at the beginning of the senior year of dental school. As with most specialty programs, GPR and AEGD programs utilize the Postdoctoral Application Support Service (PASS) operated and managed by the American Dental Education Association (ADEA). The PASS system allows all applicants to fill out a single form that is then efficiently distributed to the programs selected by the applicant. Similarly, single copies of secondary application material, such as letters of recommendation, National Board scores and the like, can be sent to PASS, which then certifies the authenticity of the copied versions it distributes to the selected programs. Overall, it allows for a more streamlined process of application over most any aternative method.

After applications are in, programs will usually contact prospective candidates for interviews. After interviews are complete, the programs and the candidates will utilize the Postdoctoral Dental Matching Program, abbreviated as "the Match," to rank each other in order of preference. After the due date, a computerized algorithm sets up each candidate with the program that he or she ranked highest, although this explanation is overly simplified. For those candidates who do not match at any program, there is a "post-match" period during which programs which maintain open spots attempt to fill them on a case-by-case basis with candidates who did not match to a program.