UAMS names clinic after Delta Dental

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Melissa Sue Gerrits - 07/11/2014 -  UAMS Associate Dean for Administrative Affairs Bill Woodell stands in the hall of new equipment unveiled at the Oral Health Clinic July 11, 2014 at UAMS.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Melissa Sue Gerrits - 07/11/2014 - UAMS Associate Dean for Administrative Affairs Bill Woodell stands in the hall of new equipment unveiled at the Oral Health Clinic July 11, 2014 at UAMS.

Nearly five years after University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Chancellor Dr. Dan Rahn expressed an interest in expanding dental education in the state, the academic medical center unveiled in a special ceremony Friday the new name for its recently opened oral health clinic, which will begin hosting dental residents as early as this fall.

The 7,500-square-foot clinic -- which is part of the Center for Dental Education in the UAMS College of Health Professions -- is now the Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation Oral Health Clinic.

The designation honors the 2013 pledge of $2 million from the Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation, the charitable arm of the state's largest dental-benefits provider, Delta Dental.

"Support from the Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation enabled construction of this facility, which is a growing base for dental education in Arkansas," said Dr. Jeanne Heard, UAMS provost and chief academic officer.

"The foundation made a strong statement about the future of oral health care in Arkansas, and UAMS is committed to seeing this clinic as another tool for pursuing its mission of health and health improvement for the state."

Arkansas is one of 14 states that does not offer a pre-doctoral dental education program, according to the American Dental Education Association. Dental programs in neighboring states that can draw Arkansans away for study and training include two in Tennessee, one in Missouri, one in Oklahoma, three in Texas, and one each in Louisiana and Mississippi.

The state ranks near the bottom in the nation for the number of practicing dentists, according to Labor Department statistics.

A Center for Rural Health study compiled in 2012 showed there were 41 dentists per 100,000 people in 2008, ranking Arkansas 49th among the 50 states in dentists per capita. Statistics from a 2009 survey by the Arkansas Department of Health indicated there were five counties in Arkansas that had no practicing dentists -- Calhoun, Cleveland, Lafayette, Perry and Newton.

"There is still a lot to learn on oral health here, but we know that there is a systemic relationship between oral health and general health," said Dr. William Slagle, director of the UAMS Center for Dental Education.

"We will be educating people who have advanced knowledge in dentistry to provide care that might not otherwise be provided. These residents, once they finish our program, will be able to go out in the communities, work in hospitals to provide oral health care that has not been provided in the past."

Ed Choate, president and CEO of Delta Dental of Arkansas, said the clinic and the dental education program at UAMS will help strengthen the relationship between education and oral health care, as well as improve access to oral health care for Arkansans.

"This is just the beginning. It's great not just for UAMS, but for the Arkansas community as a whole," Choate said. He added that he is looking forward to the official opening of the residency program, as well as its eventual expansion into oral surgery and pediatric dentistry programs.

While the postgraduate dental residency program is not set to officially open until July 2015, Slagle said the new clinic will this fall begin hosting rotations of fourth-year students from the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry. The students will rotate for two weeks of clinical experience, with patients under the supervision of two faculty dentists who now offer comprehensive dental care at the new clinic.

The new facility includes nine general dental exam rooms with one more under construction, one sedation suite and two overflow exam rooms shared with the adjacent dental hygiene program.

On Friday's tour of the clinic, Slagle pointed out efficiency in the design and construction that will keep costs low. A shuttered opening between the exam rooms, for example, allows one rotating and flexible X-ray arm to be used between both patient-care rooms.

Advanced video equipment also allows multiple students to view ongoing dental procedures from a conference room.

"They will get a front-row seat," Slagle said.

The UAMS Center for Dental Education was established in 2012 with a goal to improve oral health in Arkansas through expanded access to dental care by increasing the number of dental professionals in the state.

UAMS is also working with the state Dental Association to develop continuing education programs for the state's practicing dentists.

"It is exciting to say the least. I've been in dental education for really a long time. The excitement doesn't lessen," Slagle said. "It seems to intensify as we go along with these new facilities and programs.

"It's gratifying to work with these young people and to develop them into professionals that will hopefully stay to serve the state."

State Desk on 07/12/2014

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