Center Promotes Community Access to Oral Healthcare

The Pacific Center for Special Care at the University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco is now the Pacific Center for Equity in Oral Health Care. Under the leadership of director Elisa Chávez, DDS, professor in the Department of Diagnostic Sciences, the newly renamed center is building on its 30-year history of innovation in improving access to care for the underserved.

Its focus includes promoting telehealth initiatives to extend the reach of the dental team into schools, community centers and long-term care facilities, as well as advocacy and integration of oral health programs into the California Regional Center System serving individuals with developmental disabilities. Additionally, the center is developing the first online program for registered dental hygienists in alternative practice.

“The Pacific Center for Equity in Oral Health Care is here to support those in the Dugoni School family and our community partners who work every day to address inequities in oral healthcare and dental education, while improving outcomes in both,” notes Chávez. “This work informs advocacy for health systems and health policies that support the broad inclusion of oral healthcare as an integral and meaningful part of the healthcare system.”

From Decisions in Dentistry. January 2022;8(1):8.