Matching into OMFS Residency Without Doing Research?

[1Forrest123]

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I will be a D1 student in the fall and want to pursue OMFS residency after dental school (I have experience working in an oral surgeons office but I am aware that my opinion may change over the next four years and I will keep an open mind).

My understanding is that residencies care most about CBSE scores and GPA, then other things like research, letters of recommendation, personality, extracurriculars.

I love working with patients but I really don't enjoy working in a lab and doing research. If I want to be among the most competitive applicants for 4 year OMFS residencies will it be a red flag if I haven't become involved in research in dental school? Does it make sense to pursue other volunteer/ leadership activities that I may thrive in more to demonstrate that I am a well-rounded applicant?

Thanks! And sorry for being another one of those OMFS posts.

 

[deleted923283]

I will be a D1 student in the fall and want to pursue OMFS residency after dental school (I have experience working in an oral surgeons office but I am aware that my opinion may change over the next four years and I will keep an open mind). The school I will be attending is pass/ fail.

My understanding is that residencies care most about CBSE scores and GPA (I won't have one), then other things like research, letters of recommendation, personality, extracurriculars.

I love working with patients but I really don't enjoy working in a lab and doing research. If I want to be among the most competitive applicants for 4 year OMFS residencies will it be a red flag if I haven't become involved in research in dental school? Does it make sense to pursue other volunteer/ leadership activities that I may thrive in more to demonstrate that I am a well-rounded applicant?

Thanks! And sorry for being another one of those OMFS posts.

research is a tiny portion that most people don’t do. Maybe an opportunity will pop up with a resident, maybe not. Don’t force it. Focus on dental school, then whatever energy is left, put it towards the CBSE and get involved in school.

 

[desertrat12]

No research here and matched. Everyone at my school who matched also didn’t have research.

 

[deleted1047421]

I had two co authored publications in nerve regeneration research. This was done in undergrad.

I had also been involved in research during dental school for 1 year (cell culture and histology). This led to no publications.

During the interview trail two attendings brought up my research and both had the exact same comment that they were interested in nerve repair themselves and research of that sort. That was the extent of it.

I think your primary focus should be your academics and then once your done with that focus on externships. I did 8 weeks of externships. After that try your best to spend more time in your oral surgery clinic and start taking out a ton of teeth. I was involved in the oral surgery study club and made an effort to give presentations every 1-2 weeks (mandible fractures, bsso, Le fort, bronj, impacted wisdom teeth, ameloblastoma, etc etc) I gave a ton of presentations and everyone was excited to hear me present. I put a hell of a lot effort into those presentations and learned a lot myself. By the time I had finished dental school I had done over several hundred extractions in the oral surgery clinic.

On my own I also read fonseca trauma and reyneke’s orthognathic textbook prior to residency as my program had a heavy focus on both. This is after I found out that I matched.

I felt like I wasted a lot of time doing research and if I had to do things over again I’d avoid doing it hands down.

After I graduated in May from dental school I immediately packed up and moved out of my apartment to the city where my residency was at. Monday to Friday I started showing up to the omfs department and retracted for the other residents and assisted in the clinic and the OR. It was a very busy program where they didn’t have enough manpower to even have enough assistants in the OR. Back then I didn’t even have an ID badge as I showed up early. Sometimes I look back at myself and say I shouldn’t have tried so hard and done all this. But that was just me oral surgery was everything.

 

[1Forrest123]

I had two co authored publications in nerve regeneration research. This was done in undergrad.

I had also been involved in research during dental school for 1 year (cell culture and histology). This led to no publications.

During the interview trail two attendings brought up my research and both had the exact same comment that they were interested in nerve repair themselves and research of that sort. That was the extent of it.

I think your primary focus should be your academics and then once your done with that focus on externships. I did 8 weeks of externships. After that try your best to spend more time in your oral surgery clinic and start taking out a ton of teeth. I was involved in the oral surgery study club and made an effort to give presentations every 1-2 weeks (mandible fractures, bsso, Le fort, bronj, impacted wisdom teeth, ameloblastoma, etc etc) I gave a ton of presentations and everyone was excited to hear me present. I put a hell of a lot effort into those presentations and learned a lot myself. By the time I had finished dental school I had done over several hundred extractions in the oral surgery clinic.

On my own I also read fonseca trauma and reyneke’s orthognathic textbook prior to residency as my program had a heavy focus on both. This is after I found out that I matched.

I felt like I wasted a lot of time doing research and if I had to do things over again I’d avoid doing it hands down.

After I graduated in May from dental school I immediately packed up and moved out of my apartment to the city where my residency was at. Monday to Friday I started showing up to the omfs department and retracted for the other residents and assisted in the clinic and the OR. It was a very busy program where they didn’t have enough manpower to even have enough assistants in the OR. Back then I didn’t even have an ID badge as I showed up early. Sometimes I look back at myself and say I shouldn’t have tried so hard and done all this. But that was just me oral surgery was everything.

Thank you so much for your detailed response! That was such a helpful explanation, thank you for sharing your story.

I'll absolutely keep all of that in mind as I navigate dental school and oral surgery.

 

[1Forrest123]

No research here and matched. Everyone at my school who matched also didn’t have research.

Thank you, that makes me feel a lot better. I appreciate the info!

 

[1Forrest123]

research is a tiny portion that most people don’t do. Maybe an opportunity will pop up with a resident, maybe not. Don’t force it. Focus on dental school, then whatever energy is left, put it towards the CBSE and get involved in school.

Thank you I really appreciate you all! This community is always so helpful and it makes me excited to join your profession. Thanks again!

 

[b2bonz]

One thing I will add - if you do research be passionate about it. PDs can tell if when you talk about your research if you did it to check a box, or if you really are interested in it....

 

[DocMon16]

No research in dental school and I matched.

 

[OMFSLife123]

Research is not a be-all end-all prereq to matching into OMFS. However, as you are someone who is looking 4 years into the future knowing OMFS is what you want to go into (compared to those who decide last minute and have to scramble to put together a decent application), you would be a fool to not try to check all the boxes and make yourself the most well-rounded complete applicant out there, whether research is your thing or not.

 

[SilkyJ]

Frankly, at every interview I attended, we had the same 5-second discussion when they inevitably brought up research.
Faculty: Do you have any interest in research?
Me: Definitely. It’s important and I have some generic minor research exp on my CV
Faculty: Huh. Well then. Uh.... cool cool cool, no doubt, no doubt.

I got the impression that they didn’t care very much about applicants’ research interest (Especially since so many people feign interest). I think they’re much more concerned with your academic capacity and personality.

 

[Eli Manning]

do it if you have time for it. don't let it impede you from getting good grades and a good CBSE score

 

[1Forrest123]

do it if you have time for it. don't let it impede you from getting good grades and a good CBSE score

Thanks for the advice, makes sense. BTW you had a sold career and have been clutch in big situations but I don't think you should be inducted into the HOF bc you were never elite.

 

[Likkriue]

I matched without a single lick of research. At the same time I didn’t get an interview at any of the ivy leagues/ academic programs lol.

 

[deleted1082923]

If you can do it, it can only help. If not, its not a huge deal. Doing it helped me in matching, I believe.

 

[bergus95]

The only research I did was how to study for the CBSE. Received more than my fair share of interviews, including “research heavy” programs/institutions.

 

[OMaxFace]

No need for research.

If its OMFS related, it may be a good talking point and there may be a program here and there that it will be a boost for, but in the big picture, research is unlikely to be the main deciding factor when programs rank you.