General Practice Residency

The Massachusetts General Hospital General Practice Residency (MGH GPR) is a one-year, hospital-based program offered in affiliation with the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. The 12-month residency accepts two residents annually and emphasizes comprehensive dental care and hospital dentistry. Residents are trained to manage patients with complex medical needs in an academic medical center setting.

Program highlights

Clinical rotations

Residents rotate through:

  • Internal Medicine
  • Anesthesia
  • Oral Medicine
  • Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
  • Orofacial Pain/TMD
  • Head and Neck Oncology

Elective rotations are available based on resident interests.

Emergency on-call experience

Residents manage dental emergencies for the MGH Division of Dentistry every other week, supported by attending faculty on backup call. Additional in-house emergency coverage occurs every other Saturday and during the one-month oral surgery rotation. This experience includes management of:

• Odontogenic infections
• Facial infections
• Trauma

Operating room experience

Residents provide comprehensive dental care under general anesthesia in collaboration with faculty attendings.

Four-handed clinical practice

Residents work alongside faculty in:

  • General dentistry
  • Prosthodontics
  • Periodontics
  • Endodontics

This model supports progressive independence and advanced clinical skill development.

Educational opportunities

Residents participate in a structured learning curriculum, including:

  • Didactic training
    Formal lectures, hands-on sessions, and treatment planning conferences.
  • Literature reviews
    Critical evaluation of current research and emerging evidence.
  • Case presentations
    Presentation and discussion of patient cases with peers and faculty.

Program goals

The MGH GPR is designed to foster both clinical excellence and intellectual growth. Residents will:

  • Develop advanced clinical skills
  • Deliver high-quality, comprehensive patient care
  • Build critical thinking skills for future practice

Residents are encouraged to fully engage in the academic and clinical opportunities available at MGH.

Apply and learn

This affiliated residency program is administered by Massachusetts General Hospital. Visit the MGH site for application details, eligibility requirements, and deadlines.

View program details and apply

Program director

Sama Abdul-Aziz
Instructor in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Dr. Sama Abdul-Aziz received her undergraduate degree from Tufts University and dental degree from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. She completed her General Practice Residency (GPR) in dentistry at MGH and currently serves as its program...
Sama Abdul-Aziz