Residency and Education

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Dental Medicine

The Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Dental Medicine is committed to the care of patients, the education of residents in both oral and maxillofacial surgery and hospital dentistry, the advancement of both fields through research, and the dissemination of knowledge through continuing education programs.

The division is composed of two sections, oral and maxillofacial surgery and dental medicine, both of which work closely to achieve the division's goals.

Section of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

The mission of the Section of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is to train competent and experienced surgeons.  The program gains its strength from the scope and diversity of clinical procedures and the dedication of a progressive attending staff.  The division benefits from being part of a dynamic Department of Surgery in a busy, attractive, accessible medical center.

The fundamental objectives of the program include progressive responsibility for patient care, independent judgment, responsible initiative, surgical scholarship and technical excellence.  These objectives are assured by a close working relationship with the attending staff at both Loyola University Medical Center and adjacent Hines VA.

There is an attending oral and maxillofacial surgeon present in the operating room for every surgical procedure performed by the service.  The attending administers the patient's hospitalization and has the final responsibility for the individual's care.  The resident has the    responsibility for the individual 's care.  The resident shares the responsibility, and the working relationship between the attending and the resident on a day-to-day basis provides and environment of optimum patient care and teaching.

The Oral and Maxillofacial Program

Resident responsibility progresses in a linear track from the first through the fourth year.  The first-year level focuses primarily on basic oral surgery, the basic medical sciences, and anesthesia.

The second year provides further clinical experience in oral and maxillofacial surgery with supervised operating room experience commensurate with the complexity of the case and the abilities of the individual resident.  Also, there are rotations designed to give the resident a sound foundation in the principles of surgery.  These off-service experiences include rotations in anesthesia, general medicine, general surgery, trauma surgery, otolaryngology, and plastic surgery.

The third year marks the beginning of direct participation in senior level responsibility.  In the fourth year, the chief resident year, the resident assumes total responsibility for the organization and operation of the service.  In concert with the attending surgeon, the chief resident makes decisions on patient care and takes charge of executing treatment plans.  Finally, the chief resident has a major role in teaching fellow residents on a daily basis.

The operating room experience includes an appropriate distribution of cases reflecting the full scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery.  These procedures include orthognathic temporomandibular joint surgery, reconstructive surgery, surgery of oro-facial pathology, maxillofacial trauma, implant placement, preprosthetic surgery, and dentoalveolar surgery.

The attending staff is consulted formally and informally on a daily basis by all levels of trainees involved in patient care.  The attending staff also gives strong reinforcement and assistance to each resident in initiating a program of study and investigative activity.

Residents also rotate to Hines VA Hospital during part of their first, second, and third years.  At Hines VA, residents are involved in the inpatient oral surgical service and the busy outpatient clinic.

Upon completion of the program, residents are eligible to sit for the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery examination and certification.

There are two positions available per year for the four-year oral and maxillofacial surgery program.

All applicants are evaluated through the PASS program and by invited personal interview.  The program utilizes the MATCH for final selection.

Section of Dental Medicine

The purpose of the Section of Dental Medicine is to provide for the education of general practice dental residents in the delivery of a broad scope of oral health care services to medically compromised hospital inpatients and outpatients.  The program gains its strength from an active, dedicated, experienced, and educationally progressive attending staff and its affiliation with a busy and active major university.

The fundamental objective of this one-year program is to provide dentists with a comprehensive post-graduate learning to experience in the hospital environment, with special emphasis on the diagnosis and management of oral disease in medically compromised patients.

The program offers residents the opportunity to broaden their experience and skills beyond those usually acquired in a dental school.  The working relationship between attending specialists, generalists, and fellow residents on a day-to-day basis provides an environment of optimum patient care, teaching, education, and investigation.

The Hospital Dentistry General Practice Residency Program

The general practice residency program in hospital dentistry is twelve months in duration.  During that period, residents provide comprehensive oral health care to patients in the following settings:  the inpatient Loyola University Medical Center dental clinic, the outpatient Oral Health Center, the hospital inpatient and Loyola Outpatient Center operating rooms and at the dental clinic at Edward J. Hines, Veterans Affairs Hospital.

The patient population includes inpatient and outpatient referrals from other Loyola University Medical Center departments and services, residents of the surrounding, communities, faculty, students, and employees of the university.  This diverse patient population provides residents the opportunity to increase their knowledge and skills under the guidance of a committed and dynamic full- and part-time faculty in a university medical center environment of teaching and research.

There are 3 week rotations on the internal medicine and anesthesia services and a 2 week rotation in the Emergency Department.  These rotations provide the resident with an opportunity to assess medical risk, mange the airway, understand the role of the physician and dentist in primary care, as well as provide a forum for the communication between the disciplines of medicine and dentistry as related to the care of the total patients.

Residents also rotate to the Hines VA for 6 1/2 weeks of general dentistry and 6 1/2 weeks of oral and maxillofacial surgery.  They also take call in Loyola's Emergency Department.

There are daily lectures, demonstrations, seminars, and conferences related to each of the specialties of dentistry.  Each session is conducted by a full- or part-time faculty  member.  These sessions provide the residents with sound didactic basis for their present and future clinical activities.  Goals and objectives are available by calling the  Resident Coordinator at (708) 216-3625. 

Eight positions are available each year.  All applicants are evaluated through the PASS program and a personal interview, which is by invitation only. 

Division or Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
and Dental Medicine Faculty

Ronald L. Guttu, D.D.S., M.S.D. Professor of Surgery, Chief of Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Dental Medicine and Director of the Oral Maxillofacial Surgery Residency Program

Wanda Cruz-Gonzalez, D.M.D., Assistant Professor of Surgery, Chief, Section of Dental Medicine and Director of the General Practice Residency Program

For more information, please contact:

Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Dental Medicine
Department of Surgery, Building 105, Room 1814
Loyola University Medical Center
2160 S. First Avenue
Maywood, IL 60153