Dental Selective Options
New selectives are constantly being created. The selectives below might not encompass all offerings.
SELC 7009 - Summer orthodontic clinic
This course gives the student an opportunity to work with orthodontic graduate students treating comprehensive cases. Students will have the opportunity to actively participate in all aspects of patient care and resident training.
SELC 7027 - Protocol development
In this elective course, the student with the guidance of their mentor, will review the literature and will develop a research protocol. Credit for the elective course will be awarded by the mentor contingent on the approval of the protocol by the mentor and the Associate Dean for Research. The student must be in good academic standing as determined by the Associate Dean for Research to apply for this elective. Students may become ineligible to complete the elective course if placed on academic probation. Enrollment in this elective may be extended through the following semester, provided that the Associate Dean for Research and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs approve the extension and the mentor reports satisfactory progress. A student may withdraw from this elective course at any time without recording of withdrawal on the transcript.
SELC 7028 - Completion of individually designed research
In this elective course, the student with guidance of the mentor will complete individually designed research following the approved protocol. The student must continue to be in good academic standing to apply for and to complete this elective course. Enrollment in this elective can be extended from semester to semester when the mentor reports satisfactory progress.
SELC 7029 - Manuscript preparation of individually designed research
In this elective course, the student with the guidance of their mentor will help prepare an abstract and Extended Abstract not to exceed six pages suitable for incorporation into a peer-reviewed publication. The student must also present their research at a national/international scientific meeting and the Annual Dental School Science Symposium. A copy of a published abstract, the Extended Abstract and paperwork showing completion of all required coursework must be submitted to the Dental School Research Committee by the end of March of their senior year for review. The student must be in good academic standing to participate in this elective course. The mentor will award a grade for the elective course. Withdrawal from the elective course will result in entry on the manuscript as WP or WF as determined by the mentor.
SELC 7032 - Pediatric dentistry clinical externship
The Pediatric Dentistry summer selective course is a two week long clinical course. In this course the student will be providing care to patients who range in age from as young as 6 months to 18 years old. The course will provide students with broad clinical experiences, ranging from simple preventative procedures to more complex operative procedures. If the student is also interested in pediatric residencies, this is a wonderful opportunity to observe pediatric dental residents perform sedations and ask residents about the program. There will also be exposure to conducting infant examinations which will provide a great opportunity to discuss anticipatory guidance with parents. More importantly the student will be able to get experience in treatment planning with different age groups in which they can be somewhat complicated and may need to be referred to the operating room. You must notify the course director if you wish to register for this course selective so permission for registration is granted based on eligibility. Limited to 4 participants per session.
SELC 7097 - Preclinical orthodontic techniques course
The objective of this 12-hour selective is to provide interested DS3 students the opportunity to learn basic wire bending skills and get exposure to appliance fabrication for conducting orthodontic treatment. Five students/semester are pre-selected for Thursday afternoon sessions in the orthodontic lab; there will be 5 students in the Spring and 5 students in the Fall. Students are selected that are academically competitive and interested in post-graduate orthodontic residency. Hours to complete selective are accomplished on Thursdays for a total of 12 hours - primarily for DS III students restricted to the Fall and Spring semesters.
SELC 7099 - Dental Spanish
This selective is designed for students interested in acquiring basic conversational skills in the Spanish language as it pertains to dentistry. The course is not a Spanish language class and focuses mainly on teaching dental students how to interact with their Spanish-speaking patients in the dental office. This selective is conducted by dental students.
SELC 7109 - Graduate orthodontic clinic rotation
The objective of this 16 hour selective is to provide interested undergraduate students with the opportunity to assist orthodontic graduate students performing comprehensive orthodontic treatment. Students must have completed SELC 7097 Preclinical Orthodontic Techniques to participate since they will be asked to perform clinic procedures other than assisting. Two students are pre-selected for the Thursday afternoon clinic; there will be 2 students in the Spring and 2 students in the Fall. 2 hours per week on Thursdays for a total of 16 hours - primarily for DS III students restricted to the Fall and Spring semesters.
SELC 7114 - Interprofessional community service learning I
This is an innovative interprofessional community service learning (CSL) course for UTHSA medical, dental, nursing, school of health profession, UT pharmacy and 91PORN premedical students. The goal of this course is to promote social accountability among health professional students through the integration of meaningful service learning with the core competencies of interprofessional education. This course enables students from various health science professions to learn with, from, and about each other and each other’s roles on a health care team as they examine social determinants of health and social justice issues while applying these principles in a structured service learning practicum.
SELC 7115 - Interprofessional community service learning II
This is an innovative interprofessional community service learning (CSL) course for medical, dental, nursing, and school of health profession students. The goal of this course is to promote social accountability among health professional students through the integration of meaningful service learning with the core competencies of interprofessional education. This course enables students from various health science professions to learn with, from, and about each other and each other’s roles on a health care team as they examine social determinants of health and social justice issues while applying these principles in a structured service learning practicum.
SELC 7119 - Advanced studies on human disease processes
SELC 7119 is a third-year, two-semester course (3 credit hr.) that provides a series of comprehensive, in-depth case-based studies to foster critical thinking skills necessary for the diagnosis and understanding of the pathogenesis and treatment of a variety of human systemic and oral disease processes. The objective of this course is to better prepare selected DS3 students to become more competent general dentists and foster students for acceptance into post-graduate dental specialty programs.
SELC 7122 - Academic dental career mentorship
First year students will meet with faculty members to learn about academic careers: why did the faculty member choose to work in a dental school, what are the benefits of an academic career and what are the limitations of an academic career. Additionally, students learn about the roles and responsibilities of dental school faculty members in teaching, research , administration and service. Participating students prepare summaries of what they have learned about academic careers, submit these to the course director for review and then participated in a wrap-up seminar where teams of students share and discuss their experience and identify "take-home messages", insights and surprises about academic careers in dentistry. Dental students can take this course as a stand-alone selective without committing to the THP.
SELC 7130 - Introduction to graduate prosthodontics
The objective of this selective is to introduce rising DS3 and/or DS4 students to the specialty of Prosthodontics. Through the application of advanced concepts and techniques, students will work with residents and faculty in all phases of clinical treatment and laboratory procedures for a complete denture patient treatment. Following completion of this selective, students will have improved their understanding of impression making, smile design, centric relation, occlusal vertical dimension, and relevant laboratory steps necessary for the treatment of edentulism. The selective will occur over a 2 week period and will be scheduled to accommodate patient availability. Due to the interactive nature of clinical treatment, enrollment will be limited to two dental students. Withdrawal, with notice to the course director, will be permitted without recording of the withdrawal on the student's transcript.
SELC 8023 - Wonderful world of periodontics
Periodontal therapy includes a variety of sophisticated surgical modalities with many different objectives. Having a basic understanding of these surgical procedures and their outcomes can give a general dentist a basis for improving communications with patients related to periodontal treatment needs. This course will showcase advanced periodontal surgical procedures and their outcomes through case presentations made by Periodontics postdoctoral students.
SELC 8060 - Advanced orthodontic graduate clinic rotation
This course is designed for the student who is seriously considering specializing in orthodontics upon graduation from Dental School. The student will be trained in all facets of clinical orthodontics and will be expected to perform a variety of orthodontic procedures on patients under the supervision of clinical faculty and residents on a regular basis. Three students can participate in each of the five graduate clinic sessions. Specific sessions will be determined by orthodontic residency program. Students must complete a minimum of 40 clinical hours per semester for credit.
SELC 8088 - Pre-Prosthetic surgery
The course is for select DS3, DS4 students. There is a need for many patients to have surgery to improve their outcome for wearing of removable dental prosthesis. Ideally, the patients would go to a dental residency program to have this surgical care. Oftentimes, they need a more affordable option. Providing these services at an undergraduate level allows patients to proceed with the recommended care at a cost they can afford. Students benefit by learning principles of wound healing and patient management considerations; many of these patients have complex medical, functional, pharmacological, or cognitive issues. Students are also expected to prepare in advance of the procedures for medical emergencies that might occur based on the patients' health history. Suturing and documentation skills will be enhanced beyond what is already taught in their dental curriculum. While Geriatrics often work with many students with pre-prosthetic surgery case planning and the actual treatment, selective credit on students' transcripts is proposed when a student completes eight surgical experiences. Enrollment in the course will be at the approval of the course director. It will be a Credit course if eight pre-prosthetic surgical cases are completed. If enrolled, and eight cases are not completed, there will be no credit, no reflected penalty, on transcript for this selective. Students can drop at any time. Students can express interest at any level from DS3-DS4 with no time limit for accomplishing the eight cases. The selective is year round and spaces are limited.
SELC 8094 - Enteral conscious sedation and emergency procedures
Completion of this two day lecture course will provide the graduating senior dental student the educational credential to apply to the Texas Dental Board for a level 1 sedation permit (minimal enteral sedation). This didactic course meets the requirements for many, but not all states for enteral sedation privileges. The course is typically scheduled over two consecutive days and takes place shortly before or after the WREB clinical licensing exam in the spring.
SELC 8099 - Orthodontic literature review course
Selectees will have the opportunity to review current and classic articles in clinical and research areas of Orthodontics. This course is designed to provide a springboard for those students entering an orthodontic graduate program. Only two absences will be permitted to get transcript recording for the course. Participants will be selected from the list of students who register for the course. (0 hours)
SELC 8117 - CAD-CAM (Cerec 3D)
The course consists of four half-day sessions and is designed for students who will intensify their clinical skills of CAD-CAM dentistry. Students will be given the information needed to keep up-to-date with the latest techniques and software. A maximum of 8 students are encouraged per course session.
SELC 8160 - Molar endodontic
The molar endodontics elective allows students to initiate an appreciation for the knowledge and skills needed for successful endodontic treatment of uncomplicated molar teeth. The course is partially self-directed involving self-study of textbook materials in Vital Source Bookshelf and other reading and video assignments in Canvas. Pre-clinical projects on extracted molar teeth are required prior to clinical participation. Students who successfully complete the course, including satisfactory completion of two patient molar treatments under Endodontic faculty supervision, will be allowed to treat selected pre-approved molar cases in the General Practice Clinic. Instructor approval is required. Available after completion of Endo 7043. Withdrawal is permitted at any time without recording on the transcript. Prerequisites: ENDO 6041, 6142 and 7043.
SELC 8175 - Geriatric dentistry
Rising Senior dental students will have the opportunity to provide primary dental care and prevention services to a dynamic and diverse population of medically and functionally challenged older adults. The format of the summer selective is similar to that of the DS3 Geriatrics rotation, but with more patients, more treatment, and more discussions within each treatment session. Each summer selective session is two weeks and the treatment schedule is determined by the course director. Once enrolled and started, students are not allowed to miss sessions as patients will be scheduled.