The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) celebrated the 10th anniversary of the opening of its Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation Oral Health Clinic with a ceremony to mark its expansion into a newly remodeled space.
The renovated area adds 3,490 square feet to the clinic’s existing footprint. With the expansion, the 12,800 square-foot clinic now has four new dental hygiene operatories for a total of 15, supporting three full-time hygienists and enhancing patient appointment availability.
The clinic first saw patients in January 2013. Since then, it has provided more than 80,000 dental treatment appointments to about 18,000 patients.
“The critical need of dentistry to care for the medically complex and vulnerable populations has long been a void that needed to be filled,” said Ashley McMillan, DDS. “The clinic and its state-of-the-art technology and equipment has been the ideal training ground to elevate the standard of care for dentists entering the workforce. As an Arkansas dentist, I am proud to say I trained here and work here.”
McMillan is the director of the General Practice Residency Program and associate professor in the UAMS College of Health Professions. She was one of the two first residents to complete the General Practice Residency in Dentistry program in 2015.
The increase in dental operatories from the expansion also will enable the residency program to apply for two additional residency slots, potentially increasing the program from six residents to eight.
“More dentists and more space mean more access to care for our patients,” McMillan said. “It also decreases the wait time for our critically ill patients needing dental treatment to be able to have their medically necessary procedures.”
McMillan said the addition of a new conference room to the clinic has facilitated education and collaboration among residents and faculty, allowing for more patient care conferences, better presentations and communication.