The University of Saskatchewan’s College of Dentistry is ready to show off its pearly whites. The U of S dental clinic held a grand opening on Friday to celebrate a recently completed $24 million renovation which outfits the college with the most advanced technology and training infrastructure in North America. “It’s not simply an upgrade,” University of Saskatchewan President Vince Bruni-Bossio said. “It changes how students learn, how faculty teach, and how patients experience care.” Last updated in the 1990s and originally built in the 1970s, the long-awaited renovation and overhaul of the clinic represents roughly six years of work for College of Dentistry Dean Walter Siqueira, who fought tooth and nail to see this through. “When I graduated in 1999, the time to make a crown or a bridge was around two weeks. Now, with the technology that we have in-house here, we can make them in one hour. So this is the difference. Our students and our patients get to have access to this technology.” Using $17.2 million in provincial funding, in addition to corporate donor support, students and patients will have access to the latest in oral care. This includes imaging systems and simulation software that advance the college by a generation. New cameras with onboard artificial intelligence technology can analyze and correct students’ posture in real-time to prevent injuries and maintain efficiency, which reflects some of the latest technology in clinics across the continent. “This experience will be invaluable to students directly introducing them to patient care and setting them up for success in their professional practice,” Advanced Education Minister Ken Cheveldayoff said. The clinic, which provides a variety of services at reduced or no cost, offers accessibility for patients and invaluable experience for the students performing the work in the latter half of their education. The new tools and technologies are estimated to allow the clinic to serve up to 20 per cent more patients each year. After seeing roughly 19,000 patients last year, that efficiency could help the clinic approach 23,000 patient visits this year. They also position the university to add specialty programs and increase the number of students in current programs, all while keeping more students practicing in Saskatchewan after their education. “Today is more than just an opening. It is a milestone. And for those of us who are currently in clinic, it’s a defining part of our education,” fourth-year student Roba Ramadan said. As the clinic enters a new era, Siqueira says the college will be able to add continued education courses for professionals in the industry who are well into their careers, which can support lifelong learning for oral health professionals.
