Dental patients to win through 30-year agreement

Tuesday, 21 July 2015

The University of Adelaide and SA Health today formalised a 30-year agreement on dental training paving the way for improved community dental services for the South Australian community with new state of the art facilities for both staff and students.

University of Adelaide Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Warren Bebbington and Minister for Health, the Honourable Jack Snelling, signed the partnership agreement in the presence of staff and students of the School of Dentistry and SA Health and public dental patients at the Adelaide Dental Hospital.

“This is a major contribution to the State by the University of Adelaide, providing a $58 million purpose-built dental health facility for the community entirely from University funds, and operating it in partnership with the state government,” Professor Bebbington said.

“It guarantees clinical practice for our dental students for the next 30 years," said Professor Bebbington. "Furthermore it strengthens our links with co-located partners in the new SA Health and Biomedical Precinct,” he said.

Minister Snelling welcomed the formalisation of the partnership and the opportunity to work with the University of Adelaide on improving community dental health outcomes.

“We know that dental health remains a major issue for many people in our local community, especially in rural and regional areas. I am pleased that this long-term partnership with the University of Adelaide will help us to deliver services across the majority of the year and in outstanding new facilities here in Adelaide and in country areas," Mr Snelling said.

“In addition, having the new Adelaide Dental Hospital within the University of Adelaide’s medical and nursing school, adjacent to the both the new RAH and SAHMRI, is a very important part of developing the health and biomedical precinct in the West End,” said Mr Snelling.

The 30-year Dental Education Partnership Agreement strengthens the relationship between the University of Adelaide and SA Health delivering:
• The new SA Health managed 89 Chair Adelaide Dental Hospital set to open in July 2017 within the University’s $231 million medical and nursing schools building
• More student sessions in community dental clinics across metropolitan Adelaide
• A new 10 Chair Riverland Oral Health Clinic in Berri funded by a $6 million Commonwealth Government grant
• Student clinical placements delivering services to the community over 48 weeks of the year
• Two new scholarships to assist rural students to undertake dentistry and encourage future service in rural areas
• An option to increase capacity by making the dental chairs available either after hours or on weekends in the future

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