Dental anesthesiology

AIMMC and the Departments of Dentistry and Anesthesiology are proud to sponsor a 36-month, two-resident-per-year, CODA-accredited Dental Anesthesiology Residency Program which meets all the criteria for examination by the American Dental Board of Anesthesiology. AIMMC has a long history of training dental anesthesiologists previously sponsoring a 24-month dental anesthesiology residency prior to CODA program accreditation from the early 1980s to 2004. Under the leadership of Dental Anesthesiology Program Director, Dr. Ken Kromash, who completed a two-year dental anesthesiology residency program at AIMMC in 1992, the dental anesthesiology program was reformed and launched in 2019. The program prepares the dentist anesthesiologist to comprehensively manage pain and anxiety for children, adults and special needs patients in both the inpatient and ambulatory settings for dental and maxillofacial procedures. One of only 8 similar programs in the U.S., the Dental Anesthesiology Residency Program receives funding from a grant from the American Dental Association Foundation. Patients may be referred to the Dental Anesthesiology Residency Program to provide anesthesia services for children with special needs who receive dental treatment under anesthesia.

Dental anesthesiology residents. AIMMC dental residents receive didactic and clinical training in the administration of deep sedation/general anesthesia and other forms of pain anxiety control for ambulatory dental patients on several rotations. Residents receive a significant portion of their dental anesthesia training in the Advocate Dental Center which is located on the AIMMC campus. The dental anesthesia residents help support the procedural sedation program that is already in place and is an integral component of the nine-resident GPR Program. The Dental Center/GPR program supports several unique programs that provide oral/dental services to a wide range of medically complex, developmentally disabled, pediatric, geriatric and HIV+ patient populations. Under the guidance and supervision of Dr. Kromash, dental anesthesiologist and Section Chief of Pain and Anxiety Control, each of the nine GPR residents currently participates individually in over 20 IV Sedation cases for Special Needs patients and collectively over 50 cases for anxious, complex surgical cases. The addition of dental anesthesia residents enhances the program’s capability to provide more Sedation/GA services for pediatric, geriatric, and surgical cases.

Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center (AIMMC). A member hospital of Advocate-Aurora Health Care, the tenth largest non-profit health care system in the U.S., AIMMC is one of the state's largest, most comprehensive medical centers, offering a wide range of medical specialties, and a commitment to clinical expertise and education. Illinois Masonic is a Level I trauma, 408 bed teaching hospital with over 900 active physicians and 225 residents. The Department of Dentistry began in 1968 as one of the first hospital based dental programs in Chicago. The General Practice Residency was added in 1970 and has trained over 300 dentists who practice throughout the Chicago metro area and the U.S. The Department of Dentistry at AIMMC is a full clinical department equal to all others at the Medical Center. The GPR Program’s leading mission is to provide care to special needs, underserved and general dental patients in both the outpatient and inpatient settings. Additionally residents gain significant public health experience by treating underserved patient populations on the mobile dental van which began operation in 1999.

AIMMC’s Department of Anesthesia and the affiliated Anesthesia Residency program, which closely supports the dental anesthesiology residency, offer a broad-based residency program, encompassing the entire spectrum of anesthesiology specialties, including pediatrics, cardiovascular, cardiothoracic, OB, neurosurgery, critical care, and pain management. The 31 resident, 20 primary faculty program is geared to a curriculum with the specific knowledge, skills, and attitude that are needed for residents to demonstrate competencies in scientific and practical foundations of anesthesiology.

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Advanced General Dentistry Education Program in Dental Anesthesiology at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center (AIMMC) is to train residents in high quality, safe pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic methods to manage anxiety and pain to patients of all ages who may have accompanying special care and medical complexity needs and are undergoing dental, maxillofacial and adjunctive procedures. Residents will also be well qualified in the diagnosis and non-surgical treatment of acute orofacial pain and be prepared to participate in the management of patients with chronic orofacial pain. Resident training will take place in an interdisciplinary education environment that will emphasize excellence in patient care, evidence based treatment and research, teamwork, professionalism and respect for patients, staff and colleagues.