Boyle McCauley Health Centre Dental Clinic expansion provides valuable service in the community

The newly expanded Boyle McCauley Health Centre Dental Clinic was officially opened on January 28. The University of Alberta's School of Dentistry chair Paul Major, MLA for Edmonton-Centre David Shepherd, Ward 6 City Councillor Scott McKeen and executive director of Boyle McCauley Health Centre Cecilia Blasetti officially welcomed everyone to the new site.

The grand opening of the newly expanded Boyle McCauley Health Centre Dental Clinic (BMHC) was officially held on January 28. The expansion provides easy access to dental care for vulnerable populations and will continue to be a valuable hands-on learning environment for dentistry and dental hygiene students.

"Population demands have long created a need for an expansion of clinic space and services for the community and we are thrilled to open that expansion today," says Paul Major, chair of the School of Dentistry. "We are able to provide dental care to a population that often goes without adequate care. This clinic will not only enable better oral health for these underserved populations but it will also help provide preventative care."

Located in its new site in the Metis Capital Housing Corporation Renaissance Tower, the $1.5 million expansion was made possible by the partnership between the University of Alberta's School of Dentistry, The Metis Nation of Alberta, BMHC and Alberta Health Services (AHS).

Oral health care services have been provided by University of Alberta students through the Student Health Initiative for the Needs of Edmonton (SHINE) program since 1993 when the BMHC dental clinic was first established. It had since outgrown the space. Each year just over 2,000 patients visit the clinic which had only four operatory chairs. Moving the clinic from the basement of the BMHC and into a street-level facility into the Renaissance Tower will likely result in more families and children being treated.

Thanks to this community partnership and the fundraising campaign led by the school, the new modern eight-chair clinic expects over 3,000 visits each year.

"We are very excited that our partnership with Alberta Health Services and the University of Alberta's School of Dentistry has resulted in the expansion of our dental clinic, making it possible for more members of our community to access comprehensive, affordable dental care," says Cecilia Blasetti, executive director of the BMHC.

The BMHC Dental Clinic will now be able to accommodate more emergencies ‑ in the 2017-2018 year alone there were 755 emergency visits to the dental clinic. Wait times for follow-up appointments will be reduced and the clinic will be able to accept more patients.

Further, it is expected that the increase in services the clinic provides will allow for more preventative dental care resulting in continuity of care; and provide students with valuable experience as healthcare providers as they serve these vulnerable populations.

"I'm extremely pleased the Boyle McCauley dental clinic has expanded to care for even more vulnerable Albertans. The support this clinic offers every day helps Albertans who may have difficulty accessing dental care to obtain this critical health service," says Sarah Hoffman, Minister of Health.