Wichita State University's graduate dental education program is still $2 million short of a groundbreaking for its building, but seven dentists-in-residence have begun their studies.
The program is the latest addition to training available locally for some of the highest-paying health care jobs. Wichita also offers schooling for physicians, physician assistants, nurses, dental hygienists and physical therapists. Work to add a pharmacy school is under way.
By offering the education locally, area officials also hope to ease labor shortages in those fields, especially in understaffed parts of Kansas.
Plans call for a $6.6 million building south of WSU's Hughes Metropolitan Complex to house the advanced education in general dentistry program, which is similar to a medical residency.
Charlie Fox, associate dean of the College of Health Professions and associate director of the dental program, said the money must be committed before work on the project can begin.
About $4.3 million has been raised, he said.
All but one of the residents, who started the one-year program in August, are working out of the dental clinic at GraceMed Health Clinic at 1122 N. Topeka. The seventh works at the Robert J. Dole Veterans Administration Hospital.
They see patients, under supervision, five days a week and have classroom sessions one morning a week, either at GraceMed or at an area dentist's office. About a dozen area dentists are part-time faculty members for the program, Fox said. Dexter Woods directs the program.
Having its own building will allow the program to expand to 10 residents and a two-year program, Fox said. It will provide additional clinic space as well as room for more complex dental procedures, dental continuing education events and equipment demonstrations.
Few graduate dental education programs exist, and even fewer are community-dentistry focused, as WSU's is, Fox said.
Because the program here is new, Woods recruited for its first class. But Fox said one student already has applied for the next class, which won't start until August. "This is extremely early," he said.
Those in the programs already have completed dental school. But about half of all dental graduates go on to advanced training, either in a specialty or to gain more clinical experience, before going into practice. (source)
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