Summer Dental Selective Options

This course provides the student an opportunity to work with Orthodontic graduate students treating comprehensive cases. Students will actively participate in all aspects of patient care and resident training. The objective of this 16 hour summer selective is to provide the best qualified undergraduate students. Those who will be applying to an Orthodontic residency; with the opportunity to experience and be immersed in a postdoctoral Orthodontic residency. Students that are interested in applying for an Orthodontic selective will need to submit a one-page Letter of Intent. The Letter of Intent should include: Which selective they are interested in. Why they are interested in the selective. What they expect to learn.  

Interested students on the day they request permission to register for an Orthodontic selective should send their Letter of Intent to Ms. Mabel Hernandez (hernandezmr@uthscsa.edu. In some cases, obtaining permission may include a face-to-face meeting.

Semester: Summer
Who can sign up: DS2, DS3
Number of spots: 4
Meets clinical requirement: Yes
This selective requires permission to register: Yes, if you are interested please contact Mabel Hernandez

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.

Semester: Summer
Who can sign up: DS1
Number of spots: 20
Meets clinical requirement: Yes
This selective requires permission to register: Yes, if you are interested please contact DJ Smith

The Pediatric Dentistry summer selective course is a one week long clinical course. This selective is for RISING DS4 students. In this course the student will be providing care to patients who range in age from as young as 6 months to 17 years of age. The course will provide students with broad clinical experiences, ranging from simple preventative procedure 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 referral to the operating room. For this selective you will need to contact Dr. Contreras (contrerasc2@uthscsa.edu) and copy Rebecca Ramirez (ramirezR14@uthscsa.edu) and will authorize to sign up for the selective.

Semester: Summer
Who can sign up: DS3
Number of spots: 9
Meets clinical requirement: Yes
This selective requires permission to register: Yes, if you are interested please contact Rebecca Ramirez

This selective offers an opportunity for students to receive credit for a minimum of 32 hours of documented community service. Service hours can be filled by participating in school-wide or community agency service projects or helping the Department of Comprehensive Dentistry with health fairs. Students will be able to choose the activities they participate in from a list of approved activities. The service activities will take place during hours outside the curriculum (usually weekend; some evenings/pending availability of the student). This selective is open to all students by permission.

All participants will be expected to attend a mandatory meeting prior to selective.

Important details: Check with the coordinator for specific dates.

Semester: Summer
Who can sign up: DS1
Number of spots: 6
Meets clinical requirement: No
This selective requires permission to register: Yes, if you are interested please contact Nora Olivo

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.

Semester: Summer
Who can sign up: DS1, DS2
Number of spots: 110, 30
Meets clinical requirement: No
This selective requires permission to register: No

Paired groups of students are required to participate in a one or two-week rotation during the summer session. The students will be based at either Mercy Ministries of Laredo or UTRGV School of Medicine. Students must participate in outreach to include dental education on dental disease prevention and oral health promotion and will work alongside clinic outreach staff (e.g., Promotoras and Social Workers) and health care providers (dentists, physicians, nurses, residents, dental hygienists, or dental assistants). Activities will include clinical preventive patient education, dental surveys, dental assisting, and/or preventive dentistry clinical procedures. Students are required to develop a health promotion and disease prevention project (e.g., patient handout, educational flip chart, presentation, etc.). This tool will be implemented and continue to be used in future outreach by the program. Ability to communicate in Spanish is encouraged. 1 – 2 week rotation.

All participants will be expected to attend a mandatory meeting prior to selective.

Semester: Summer
Who can sign up: DS1
Number of spots: 4
Meets clinical requirement: No
This selective requires permission to register: Yes, if you are interested please contact Nora Olivo

Rising senior dental students will provide basic primary oral health care and preventive services to patients in a community-based clinic in South Texas. Below is a list of the participating community clinics and number of spots per clinic. A minimum of 2 weeks will be scheduled by arrangement and attendance is required. Withdrawal is permitted with appropriate transcript entry. Housing will be provided in Laredo and Harlingen if needed. Participants will be scheduled based on the list of students who register for the course. Students must complete daily procedure summaries and selective evaluation at the end of the rotation.

Clinics location and number of spots:

San Antonio - CommuniCare: 2 spots

Laredo - Health Department: 2 spots

Laredo - Gateway: 2 spots

Laredo - Mercy Ministries: 4 spots

Harlingen - Su Clinica: 2 spots


Semester: Summer
Who can sign up: DS3
Number of spots: 12
Meets clinical requirement: Yes
This selective requires permission to register: Yes, if you are interested please contact Temo Garcia

Students will have the opportunity to work with oral and maxillofacial radiology residents under the supervision of the covering faculty. Students will have the opportunity to learn about Cone Beam CT technology and different machines in the Graduate Oral & Maxillofacial Radiology Clinic. Students will have the opportunity to observe and participate in the discussion in report writing service that the Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology (OMFR) program provides on a national level.

Semester: Summer
Who can sign up: DS2, DS3
Number of spots: 3, 3
Meets clinical requirement: No
This selective requires permission to register: No

Real life lessons in Communication & Clinic. The 5 keys to Communication with workshop. Diagnosis, treatment planning and treatment consultation. Perio diagnosis, treatment and maintenance. Occlusion 101. The art of retraction. What is Ferrule? Cracks, provisionals and giving injections. Profit=Fee-Cost or Fee=Cost+Profit? The seamless team.

Semester: Summer
Who can sign up: DS2, DS3
Number of spots: 100
Meets clinical requirement:
This selective requires permission to register:

Students will write and publish a CAT (Critically Appraised Topic), a structured one-page summary and critique of the best available evidence on a focused question. The CAT format requires the writer to:
1. Ask a clear, concise and focused question,
2. Conduct an efficient and effective search for the highest quality research evidence available,
3. Critically appraise the located evidence,
4. Carefully consider the applicability/generalizability of the evidence,
5. Write the structured one-page summary.
 The UT Health San Antonio CATs Library provides students and faculty with rapid, up-to-date evidence-based answers to clinical questions. CATs completed during the selective will be published in the CATs library. Once published, the CAT can be listed on the student’s CV as a web-based publication.

All participants will be expected to attend a mandatory on-line meeting at the beginning of the selective.

Semester: Summer
Who can sign up: DS2, DS3
Number of spots: 30
Meets clinical requirement:
This selective requires permission to register:

Introduction to dentists role in screening for and treating obstructive sleep apnea.

3 sessions: Fridays, 8:30a to 12:00p (June 07, 14, 21)

Semester: Summer
Who can sign up: DS3
Number of spots: 10
Meets clinical requirement:
This selective requires permission to register: No

This summer elective will review the different dental materials students will encounter in the clinic. The prerequisite for this course is DFRD 5001. As such, fundamental science in physical and material properties, polymers, metals and ceramics will not be covered. Instead, specific clinical dental material and their properties will be reviewed.

Semester: Summer
Who can sign up: DS2, DS3
Number of spots: 30
Meets clinical requirement:
This selective requires permission to register:

Rising DS4s will participate in a primary care/preventive dentistry elective training program in which primary dental care is provided including dental emergencies and medical complex patients in San Antonio Christian Dental at Haven for Hope. Students participate in accordance with their level of training and ability, by providing needed dental care to the homeless and patients of all ages from shelters, thus becoming familiar with the oral health needs of various segments of the population. Dental care is provided under the direct supervision of Dental School faculty, including adjunct faculty from the Dental School.

Semester: Summer
Who can sign up: DS3
Number of spots: 4
Meets clinical requirement: Yes
This selective requires permission to register: Yes, if you are interested please contact Nora Olivo