Dental Rotations and Didactics
About the rotation sites:
The CHA Windsor Street Care Center is located in a multi-purpose community center at 119 Windsor Street in Cambridge. It is one of Cambridge Health Alliance's busiest care centers, servings a diverse, multicultural community.
Health care services provided include adult and pediatric primary care, mental health services and dentistry. Windsor Street serves as the primary site for outpatient dental care at CHA, with seven dental operatories and over 12,000 annual patient visits.
The Harvard Dental Center (HDC) is the clinical site of the General Practice Residency (GPR) program at Harvard School of Dental Medicine. It is located on the first floor at 188 Longwood Avenue in Boston.
This facility is also utilized by the postdoctoral programs and the residents practice side by side with world renowned Harvard faculty. The HDC is a modern facility with 24 dental operatories, a radiology facility, laboratory, sterilization area, reception area and business office.
About the Experience
Building on the clinical and academic strengths of CHA and Harvard School of Dental Medicine, this residency program integrates dental and medical training. By bridging the gap between these disciplines, the program prepares residents with the interdisciplinary knowledge required to practice as oral physicians within a complex healthcare system.
The CHA GPR curriculum features rotations in Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Anesthesia, and the Oral Physician Model. In these roles, residents collaborate with interprofessional teams to provide primary care and screenings, fostering an interdisciplinary understanding of the relationship between oral and systemic health.
Rotation Descriptions
Anesthesia: This is a two week, full time assignment to the Department of Anesthesiology. Residents participate in the administration of general anesthesia to inpatients and ambulatory surgery patients under direction of a staff anesthesiologist.
Medicine: This is a two week, full time assignment to the Family Medicine Residency to observe and participate in the management of non-dental patients from admission to discharge in accordance with ambulatory care and hospital protocols.
Emergency Medicine: This is a two week, full time assignment to one of the CHA emergency rooms with duties to be assigned by the designated emergency room physician.
Oral Physician Model: By combining patient histories with physical exams, residents develop diagnostic skills at CHA and Harvard-affiliated sites. The program’s curriculum bridges the medical-dental divide through the management of oral manifestations of systemic conditions. Residents gain critical experience analyzing how social drivers of health and medical interventions alter dental treatment plans, all while fostering a professional culture of sensitivity and inclusive care.
Patient Care Activities
Clinical Dental Services: Residents provide comprehensive and emergency dental care through rotations at two primary sites: the Windsor Street Care Center (six months total) and the Harvard Dental Center (three months total). These rotations are interspersed throughout the academic year under the supervision of full- and part-time Harvard School of Dental Medicine faculty.
Standard Clinical Hours:
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- Harvard Dental Center: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
- Windsor Clinic: 8:30 AM – 12:15 PM and 1:15 PM – 5:00 PM
Extended Hours: Open late on Mondays and select Saturdays
After Hours On-call Duty: Each resident is required to perform emergency first call duties for the Cambridge Health Alliance hospitals on a rotational basis. Program faculty members provide second call service on a rotational basis as well.
Didactic Program
Our residency offers a rigorous, year-round didactic curriculum led by Harvard School of Dental Medicine faculty and respected guest lecturers. The program integrates clinical dentistry and medicine with practice management and public health to ensure a well-rounded professional foundation. These core concepts are reinforced through seminars, literature reviews, clinical rotations, and case presentations.
Overall Goals and Program Objectives
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- Act as a primary care "oral physician" by providing multidisciplinary, emergency, comprehensive, and advanced general dental care that treats the whole person through integrated health promotion and disease prevention.
- Deliver multidisciplinary oral healthcare for a diverse patient population, including those with special needs, by centering treatment on the intersection of their dental and systemic health requirements.
- Manage the delivery of oral healthcare by applying patient-management and quality-improvement concepts that allow the oral physician to remain adaptive within a dynamic healthcare environment.
- Function effectively as a medical colleague within hospital and clinical environments to ensure oral health is a recognized component of comprehensive patient care.
- Lead and participate effectively within interdisciplinary healthcare teams to provide a coordinated, patient-focused approach to complex patient cases.
- Use critical thinking and technology-based information systems (EHR, telehealth, databases, digital equipment) to apply scientific principles and outcomes-based research to every clinical decision.
- Practice with a commitment to professional ethics, lifelong learning, and cultural humility to provide patient-centered care that respects the diverse backgrounds of patients.
- Engage in public outreach and local service to understand and address the specific oral health needs of the community.