University of the Pacific renames dental center

The Pacific Center for Special Care at the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry has been renamed the Pacific Center for Equity in Oral Health Care, the university announced.

The university said the newly renamed center is building on its 30-year history to improve access to care for those with barriers affecting their oral health. It also cited the COVID-19 pandemic's highlighting of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in healthcare access and outcomes.

"The Pacific Center for Equity in Oral Health Care is widening its lens to include all those whose health or socioeconomic conditions have adversely impacted their oral health, and to address the conditions under which these disparities persist," the university said in a statement.

The Dugoni School of Dentistry was recently awarded a Dental Faculty Loan Repayment grant through the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration that will be administered through the center and allow the school to establish two faculty tracks: one in pediatric/special care/hospital dentistry and one in geriatrics/Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD)/hospital dentistry for dental and dental hygiene faculty.