On Thursday, May 27, 2021, Fanshawe College celebrated the grand opening of its state-of-the-art oral health clinic. The clinic is a learning lab for students in the College’s Dental Hygiene and Dental Assisting programs.
The space features 20 fully functional dental manikin simulators, a training sterilization centre and a dental materials lab in the Simulation Clinic. The main clinic has 16 dental operatories which can expand into an additional six operatories that are equipped with the latest in digital intra-oral radiography. In the oral health clinic, students will be learning digital radiography, extra-oral panoramic radiography and infection control protocols in the one-way instrument reprocessing sterilization rooms.
With over 70,000 Londoners living in poverty and a lack of access to employer paid dental insurance as one of the major predictors for oral healthcare utilization, the clinic plays a vital role in providing accessible preventive oral health services to the region. Under the supervision of registered dental hygienists and dentists, students provide quality, preventive oral health services to many people within our community who may not otherwise have access to care.
"This is a very exciting day for us as this clinic allows us to actualize a long-held dream to provide oral health care to the community while providing research opportunities for our students and faculty,” says Pam McLaughlin, dean, Faculty of Health, Community Studies and Public Safety. “After learning in this lab, our graduates will be prepared to join health care teams in London and beyond."
Watch a video of the new facility.
The clinic is open to the public at a reduced cost. Further information is available at https://www.fanshawec.ca/oral-health-clinic.
For more information, please visit Fanshawe's media contact page.