Delta Dental Gives Total of $2 Million for UAMS Dental Clinic

By Jon Parham

The first five of the clinic’s planned 18 individual treatment rooms are now open. In recognition of the $2 million total in support, which includes a $440,000 grant announced in 2012, UAMS will name the clinic the Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation Oral Health Clinic when planned expansion is complete in 2014.

“The strong support by the Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation has been critical to our ability to open this clinic and plan for the kind of facility we need to provide comprehensive care for our patients and host the dental residency program, which will have a wide-reaching effect on improving dental care in Arkansas,” said UAMS Chancellor Dan Rahn, M.D. “The clinic and residency program will improve access to dental health in our state.”

The clinic is part of the UAMS Center for Dental Education, which is working toward accreditation for postgraduate residency programs in advanced general dentistry and oral surgery. It is planned that in 2014, when the clinic expansion is complete, the center can begin accepting dental residents who will provide dental care to patients in the clinic while gaining further clinical experience.

“Delta Dental of Arkansas strongly supports UAMS and its compelling vision for the future of dental care and education in Arkansas,” said Ed Choate, president and chief executive officer of Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation. “The new state-of-the-art dental clinic and dental residency program will help ensure that the people of Arkansas will continue to receive the highest standard of patient care.”

The clinic also will complement and enhance the UAMS dental hygiene program, which sees patients in an adjacent clinic. The two clinics will share some resources, improving the quality of experience dental hygiene students will receive.

Keith David Stillwell, D.D.S., who joined the UAMS faculty in 2012 as director of the clinical and residency programs in the Center for Dental Education, will provide dental care to patients in the clinic. Two dental assistants and a dental hygienist recently joined the clinic staff. Additional dentists are expected to join the faculty soon.

The Oral Health Clinic’s hours of operation will be Monday from noon to 5 p.m.; Tuesday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Friday, 7 a.m. to noon. To make a clinic appointment, call (501) 686-5733.

The clinic will offer comprehensive dental services including:

• Crowns
• Dentures/partials
• Fillings
• Endodontic (root canal) therapy
• Implants
• Hygiene Services
• Whitening/Cosmetic Services

For more information about the Center for Dental Education, part of the UAMS College of Health Professions, visit http://DentalEducation.uams.edu.

Delta Dental of Arkansas has been writing group dental insurance since 1982 and currently serves more than 1,000 participating Arkansas dentists, 2,900 employer groups and more than 1.7 million individuals. Delta Dental is the largest dental benefits provider in the state of Arkansas and is a member of Delta Dental Plans Association, a national network of independent not-for-profit dental service corporations specializing in providing dental benefits programs to 56 million Americans in more than 95,000 employee groups throughout the country.

In addition to providing excellent dental coverage, Delta Dental of Arkansas contributes more than $1 million each year to support programs designed to improve the oral health of Arkansans. For more information about the organization’s mission and charitable giving, visit www.deltadentalar.com.

UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a statewide network of regional centers; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute, the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging and the Translational Research Institute. Named best Little Rock metropolitan area hospital by U.S. News & World Report, it is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has more than 2,800 students and 775 medical residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including about 1,000 physicians and other professionals who provide care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and UAMS’ Area Health Education Centers throughout the state. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com.