The A.T. Still University (ATSU) Center for Advanced Oral Health will install permanent anesthesia suites, increasing the clinic's capacity to provide fillings, root canals, crowns, cleaning, extractions, and implants to older patients for whom anesthesia is necessary during dental care.
The suites are funded by a $160,000 grant from Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, according to the university.
Previously, anesthesia services were available to a limited number of patients via a mobile anesthesia cart. Many of the center's patients who need dental anesthesia were forced to wait for care.
"Creating permanent anesthesia suites will ensure that older Arizonans and others with cognitive or other challenges receive the high-quality yet affordable dental care they deserve in a timely manner, thereby preventing the development of related health problems," stated Maureen Perry, DDS, MPA, director of the center and associate dean for postdoctoral education at ATSU's Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health.
The center is one of four teaching clinics operated by the Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health, serving as both treatment centers for Arizona residents and training facilities for ATSU's postdoctoral dental residents and dental and medical students.
