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Specialty Endodontics Training Begins in College of Dentistry at

 

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

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Dr. Adam Lloyd Leads New Department, Advanced Postgraduate Program

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            Memphis, Tenn. (April 12, 2011) – Saving a decaying or infected tooth takes a highly skilled dentist.  Endodontics, known to laymen as root canals, is a treatment used to repair and save teeth that might otherwise be lost due to gross decay, trauma or abscess.  Tim Hottel, DDS, MS, MBA, dean for the College of Dentistry at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), has announced an Advanced Specialty Education Program in Endodontics and the addition of Adam Lloyd, BDS, MS, as associate professor and chair of the Department of Endodontics. 

In March, the Endodontics Department received approval from the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) to begin the advanced specialty postgraduate program.  Applications will be accepted starting in July 2011 with the charter class set to begin training in July 2012.  CODA serves the public by establishing, maintaining and applying standards that ensure the quality and continuous improvement of dental and dental-related education and reflects the evolving practice of dentistry.  Established in 1975, the commission is nationally recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit dental and dental-related education programs conducted at the post-secondary level. 

“The endodontics program expands our ability to teach, practice and meet the needs of Memphis-area patients with even more specialized care,” Dean Hottel said.  “With these significant additions to the College of Dentistry, for the first time in our long history, we have all dental specialties represented in our educational programs.”

            Previously, graduates from the UT College of Dentistry who wanted to enroll in endodontics specialty training had to leave Tennessee to do so.  “Many talented Tennesseans had to travel to neighboring states for advanced training simply because endodontics was the only specialty not represented on our campus,” Dean Hottel observed.  “With the addition of the endodontics specialty, we can more completely fulfill our mission -- to educate postgraduate students at the highest level of contemporary clinical practice, provide the community with one more opportunity for patients to keep their natural dentition, and build a foundation of well-trained professionals who are willing to give back to the dental profession.”

Through the UT Dental Clinic third- and fourth-year dental trainees provide more than 40,800 patient visits to Mid-South residents every year under the close supervision of experienced faculty.  The Dental Clinic offers services for adults and children at a fraction of the cost of private dental care.  For more information or an appointment call (901) 448-6241.

            “Dean Hottel recognized the importance of the specialty, providing support and resources for the development of the new training program,” Dr. Lloyd said.  “This enabled me to fashion the program into one that my colleagues and the state of Tennessee will be proud of.”

A native of South Wales, Dr. Lloyd received his dental degree from the University of Wales College of Medicine.  A defining moment in his early career was presenting at the Royal College of Medicine to the British Endodontic Society on research performed at Baylor College of Dentistry, where he received a national award.  Determined to be an educator, he left his father’s general practice and returned to the United States to receive specialty training, obtaining both his certificate in endodontics and MS in oral biology from Baylor College of Dentistry, Dallas, Texas.  

A career educator, Dr. Lloyd has taught at the University of California San Francisco and Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine.  Currently, his research at UTHSC focuses on instrument design and visualization of endodontic techniques using X-ray micro-focus computerized tomography providing clinically applicable data and, for teaching purposes, through his use of advanced multimedia and training manuals.  Dr. Lloyd has lectured both nationally and internationally and most recently was a contributing author for the textbook Ingle’s Endodontics.  He has been recognized by the British Endodontic Society and the American Association of Endodontists, having won the Fred Harty prize in endodontics and is the 2010 Edward M. Osetek Educator award winner, respectively.  

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service.  In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrates its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care.  Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy.  The UTHSC campus in Knoxville includes a College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and an Allied Health Sciences unit.  In addition, the UTHSC Chattanooga campus includes a College of Medicine and an Allied Health Sciences unit.  Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state.  For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu.

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