Schulich Dentistry opens unique operating suite for special needs patients
We are pleased to bring you this news bite from a renowned Canadian Dental School
The Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry has become the first dental school in North America to be equipped with a general anesthetic (GA) suite allowing the School’s dental clinic program to expand its scope of services for patients, especially those with physical and/or intellectual challenges who require sedation.
“This facility will enable us to provide oral surgery and a wide spectrum of dental procedures for special needs, pediatric and geriatric patients and will be the only one of its kind in North America,” says Dr. Harinder Sandhu, vice-dean and director of Schulich Dentistry. It will also provide dental students and residents with expanded hands-on clinical experience.
The $2-million suite features two operating rooms and six recovery bays, and at full capacity, will accommodate as many as 60 patients a week. The Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine will provide support for the program.
Wait times in hospital operating rooms for dental procedures for pediatric and special needs patients can be 14 to 18 months, because the procedures are considered elective.
The suite was funded by seven public health units in Southwestern Ontario, led by the Middlesex-London Health Unit. “We know that good oral health is an important factor contributing to good overall health,” Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews said.