The new Orthodontic and Paediatric Dentistry Clinic at the Glasgow Dental Hospital was officially opened today, 3rd June 2008 by Shona Robison MSP, Minister for Public Health. At a special ceremony, the Minister for Public Health met with staff and patients before unveiling a commemorative plaque and officially declaring the new £1million Clinic open. Shona Robison, Minister for Public Health, said: "It's a great honour for me to officially open the new Orthodontic and Paediatric Dentistry Clinic at the Glasgow Dental Hospital the largest of its kind in the country.

 

This state-of-the-art unit will be a welcome addition to the city's health facilities and will help to ensure that the children of Glasgow have access to the highest quality dental and orthodontic care. "It's particularly inspiring that the new clinic has been built with its child patients in mind and its welcoming atmosphere will help put them at ease. But it will also be of great value to the specialists who work here who will benefit from the advanced technological equipment at their disposal as well as dental students who come here to train."

 

Kevin Hill, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde's Director of Oral Health, explained: "The new combined Orthodontic and Paediatric Dentistry Department opened last month at a cost of £1million and will treat over twenty thousand patients every year. "This redesign has created one large clinic in addition to individual dental surgeries. This has led to the development of a child-friendly environment, which provides a fully integrated department capable of delivering consultant-led Orthodontic and Paediatric dental services.

 

"The project has provided a bright modern clinical area, with 22 new dental chairs, complete with a computerised system to allow access to digital imaging at each clinical station. This new facility will enable resources to be appropriately shared and utilised by a wide range of Dental Care Professionals as well as by undergraduate and postgraduate dental students." Alyson Wray, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde's Lead Clinician for Orthodontics & Paediatric Dentistry said: "The investment in the new combined Paediatric Dentistry and Orthodontic clinic represents a fantastic opportunity to improve the specialist care we deliver for our patients. Many of our patients are referred from their own dentists because they find having dental treatment challenging and stressful.

 

The new clinic environment is both calm and welcoming, and the state-of-the-art-equipment will allow us to see patients more efficiently, and deliver their treatment over shorter appointments. A great deal of thought has gone into planning the new clinic, to minimise the amount of intimidating dental equipment nervous patients will be faced with. "This new facility represents the single largest combined Paediatric and Orthodontic department in the country, and will provide an ideal environment to provide specialist care to our patients."

 

Importantly the clinic meets decontamination guidelines by providing separate areas to store clean instruments and to despatch contaminated instruments to a dedicated centralised sterilisation department within the Dental Hospital. The redesign, with the creation of new disabled toilet facilities and improved access to each dental chair complies fully with the Disability Discrimination Act.