Student Membership Eligibility and Benefits

Periodontal residents may enjoy all benefits of AAP membership at a significantly reduced cost.

MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS

Who belongs to the American Academy of Periodontology?

The American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) is the professional organization for periodontists and dentists with an interest in the specialty as well as residents preparing to enter the profession. As a member, you join a network of more than 8,300 dental professionals in over 70 countries, students in accredited residency programs, and general and restorative dentists with a special interest in interdisciplinary treatment through expanded knowledge of periodontics.

Who is eligible for Student membership in the American Academy of Periodontology?

Any individual who is continuously enrolled in a 3-year training program in periodontology accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association is eligible for Student membership in the Academy.

How much is Academy membership and what kind of payment does the Academy accept?

The 2009 dues rate for Student members is $114. The Academy accepts both Visa and MasterCard. Payment of dues is required when the membership application is submitted. Applications received after November 1 will be credited towards the 2010 calendar year.

Application for Student Membership (Word format)
Application for Student Membership

I just graduated from my postdoctoral periodontal training program. What now?

The most important thing is not to let your Academy membership lapse. Student members have several options following graduation. Academy Bylaws allow Student members to transfer member categories without paying an application fee.

The first few years out of school can be both exciting and challenging. The Academy recognizes those challenges and has created two membership options that may assist you in your transition.

Option #1 allows you to remain in the Student member category for up to two years following graduation. The purpose of the two-year grace period is to allow new practitioners to receive lower dues while starting a new practice. This provides a considerable savings to the recent graduate. No action is required if you prefer to remain in the Student member category. After your two-year grace period concludes, the Academy will automatically mail you a transfer application. At that time you will be required to transfer to the Active, International or Associate member category in order to maintain your membership with the Academy. Individuals remaining in the Student member category are not eligible to participate in the Academy's Patient Referral Service (PRS). The Patient Referral Service is a member benefit available to all Active, Life-Active and International members. More Information about the PRS
Student members who graduated from a periodontal program in 2007 are required to submit an application to transfer their AAP membership status by the end of 2009 when their eligibility for student membership expires. At the time of the transfer application:
- Active and Associate members are required to be members in good standing of the American Dental Association
- International members are required to be members of a recognized national dental association or a recognized Canadian provincial dental association if the dentist resides in Canada.
Please contact the Membership Department at member.services@perio.org to obtain a transfer application form.
Option #2 allows you to move directly into the Active membership category if you meet all of the criteria for Active membership and have completed your postdoctoral training. AAP Active member qualifications require that you are:
- Licensed to practice in the U.S.
- Member of the American Dental Association
- Qualified as a specialist in periodontics according to ADA requirements and limit your practice to periodontics
- Qualified both as a periodontist and one or more other ADA recognized specialties and limit your practice to these specialties
- Primarily a researcher or educator in periodontics who limits practice to periodontics
With this option, you would transfer into the Active member category, pay the Student dues rate for the two year grace period and enjoy all the Active member benefits including the right to vote and hold office. Members who select this option are eligible to participate in the Patient Referral Service (PRS). If you select this option, you will pay Active member meeting registration fees and prices for all products in the Product Catalog.

As a member of the Academy the choice is yours to make. The table below provides an overview of the difference in pricing structures to assist you in deciding between the two options.

EVENT/PRODUCT	STUDENT MEMBER PRICING	ACTIVE MEMBER PRICING
2009 Annual Meeting Registration Fee*	$360 Advance $560 On-site	$595 Advance $795 On-site
Annals of Periodontology (Vols. 1, 2 and 5)	$38	$72
Annals of Periodontology (Vol. 4)	$29	$59
Annals of Periodontology (Vols. 3 and 6)	$48	$88
Annals of Periodontology (Vol. 8)	$54	$98

*Fees quoted are the registration fees for a graduated Student member. There is a less expensive fee for students still in school (in advance - $210/on-site - $310).

What happens if I plan to practice outside the United States and its territories?

No matter where you relocate following graduation, you will enjoy the two-year grace period in the Student member category. When the Academy notifies you that it is time to transfer, you will be required to transfer into the International category of membership. You will also receive an International member transfer application that you will be required to complete and return to the Academy.

MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

What resources does the American Academy of Periodontology provide Student members?

Your first and best Academy resource is the AAP Web site (www.perio.org). An index of Web Links for Students takes you to a wealth of information specific to your needs as a student and beginning practitioner. Following are some of the other benefits that AAP members enjoy:

Does the Academy provide any kind of financial assistance to Student members?

The American Academy of Periodontology Foundation offers a number of scholarship and fellowship programs that are of interest to the Academy's Student members:

Abram and Sylvia Chasens Teaching and Research Fellowship awards two $15,000 fellowships to periodontal postgraduate students in their third year of a non-military accredited periodontal program in the United States or Canada, and who intends to pursue a career in periodontal education.
Dr. and Mrs. Gerald M. Kramer Scholarship for Excellence provides a one-time cash award scholarship in the amount of $10,000 to a third-year student in an accredited periodontal graduate program in the U.S. or Canada who demonstrates academic and clinical excellence as well as a personal commitment to the specialty and his or her community.
Richard J. Lazzara Fellowship in Advanced Implant Surgery is a 12-month fellowship intended to provide educational and clinical experiences that reflect the most current techniques in implant dentistry. Application is made jointly by a third year student in an accredited U.S. periodontal post-doctoral training program and by the student's program director.
Tarrson Regeneration Scholarship awards two scholarships, each in the amount of $37,000 per year for each year of a recipient's three-year periodontal training program in order to encourage research in regeneration. Recipients must commit to spending one year in full-time teaching for each year they receive the award.
AAP Educator Scholarship provides financial relief to a student intending to pursue a career as a full-time teacher at a U.S. periodontal program upon graduation from a U.S. periodontal postdoctoral training program. The scholarship is intended to provide help with tuition and living expenses during the training period and may also be used for debt reduction. The Educator Scholar must commit to spending one year as a full-time periodontal educator at a U.S. program for each year he/she receives the award.
AAP Foundation Education Fellowship Funded by OMNI Preventive Care is a $15,000 award created to encourage periodontal students to participate in research focusing on the prevention of periodontitis. Applicants must submit a proposal for a research project with an overall focus on the prevention of periodontitis. This overall focus may include diagnostics, therapeutics, behavioral modification and restorative conditions. Students in their first or second year of a U.S. periodontal postdoctoral program may apply for the AAP Foundation Education Fellowship Funded by OMNI Preventive Care.
E. Bud Tarrson Research Award in Oral Plastic Surgery was created to support and encourage periodontal research in oral plastic surgery. This is a $1,000 award for the best paper on clinical oral plastic surgery published in a peer-reviewed journal. At least one of the paper's researchers must be a periodontist or a periodontal postgraduate student.

Is there an established Academy member that I can connect with for guidance?

The AAP Volunteer Mentor program

is the program for you. Students can search the online database of mentors by geographic area to locate a nearby Academy member who is interested in serving as a mentor to a Student member.

Does the Academy offer any special programs specifically for students?

Transitioning from a postdoctoral periodontal student to a practitioner can be a very confusing time. To help postdoctoral students with this transition, the AAP hosts a complimentary student luncheon at the Annual Meeting. All AAP Student Members who register for the Annual Meeting, are invited to attend this event.