State, city, organized dentistry and university officials, along with 750 alumni and friends, gathered at University of the Pacific on June 21 for a ribbon cutting ceremony and public opening of the newly-constructed $18 million Health Sciences Learning Center and Clinics. This state-of-the-art facility, funded largely by private donations, houses the School of Dentistry's new Dr. Bernard S. Aarons Dental Hygiene Clinic, Dr. Ralph P. Ermoian Dental Hygiene Simulation Laboratory and the Charles and Carolyn Bloom Advanced General Dentistry Clinic, in addition to the Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. This is the first time the School of Dentistry, in its 107-year history, has had a permanent presence on the Stockton campus.
"This building is part of the future of this great university and will open doors to the community in remarkable ways," stated Dr. Arthur A. Dugoni, dean of the School of Dentistry. "For the School of Dentistry, it is a giant footprint into the Central Valley. It will open up opportunities to provide patient care to the underserved, disadvantaged, elderly and children, and to develop research and educational partnerships with many other units of the university."
Pacific's dental hygiene program is the nation's only accelerated, three-year hygiene program resulting in a bachelor of science degree in dental hygiene. Headed by dental school alumna Dr. Cindy Lyon '86, this innovative program began in fall 2002 and is the first hygiene program in San Joaquin County. Twenty-four dental hygiene students will provide comprehensive, preventive patient care to adults and children beginning in spring 2004 in the hygiene clinic, named after dental school alumnus Dr. Bernard Aarons '44.
Under the direction of Dr. Howard Chi, a Stockton native, the newly-established Advanced Education in General Dentistry program in Stockton is a one-year, accredited residency program designed to train graduate dentists to meet the oral health care needs of the diverse populations of the Central Valley, including individuals with complex dental, social and medical conditions. The dental school has two other existing AEGD programs, one in San Francisco and one in Union City. Residents at all three sites receive a portion of their educational instruction from faculty through high-tech videoconferencing capabilities at all three sites.
The two new dental clinics, with a total of 26 operatories, will provide a unique educational setting for Pacific hygiene students and AEGD residents while enhancing access to oral health care for Central Valley residents. DDS students from the San Francisco campus will also participate in rotations to the new dental clinics in Stockton.
"At a time when California dentists are experiencing a shortage of dental hygienists to render care in their practices, the new facility at Pacific will make great strides to educate and train more dental hygienists," said Dr. Dennis Kalebjian, president of the California Dental Association, who attended the grand opening. "The CDA has been trying to encourage the establishment of hygiene programs like the new one at Pacific. It's a timely response to a need that is being felt by California dentists up and down our state."
"Additionally, Pacific's Advanced General Dentistry Clinic will provide not only an excellent training program for new dentists, but exposure to the needs of many of our rural communities in California," adds Kalebjian. "This generally results in a greater number of practitioners going into rural areas to establish dental practices and serve the diverse populations in those communities."
University of the Pacific School of Dentistry, one of the nation's premier dental schools, has served the Bay Area community for 107 years. Located in San Francisco, Union City, and Stockton, Pacific is committed to excellence in student-centered education, patient care and research. The school's clinics offer quality, low-cost dental services to children and adults throughout Northern California.
