“This is a milestone for the College of Dentistry,” said James Ragain, DDS, MS, PhD, FICD, FACD, dean of the College of Dentistry at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, as he cut the ribbon opening the newest dental clinic on the Memphis campus
The Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) Clinic on the 3rd floor of the Dunn Dental Building at 875 Union Avenue, Suite C302, offers comprehensive dental care for adults, including root canal treatments, crowns and bridges, and implants. It is staffed by dental residents with support and supervision from faculty of the Department of General Dentistry.
Dental residents Jennifer Lenning, DDS; Nhu Phan, DDS; and Nur Sheikhan, DDS, who will staff the five-chair dental clinic, stood side by side and helped the dean cut the ribbon. The residents, who graduated from the UTHSC College of Dentistry in May, will spend the next year in the AEGD Program focusing on advanced-level dental care and procedures. Following the 10 a.m. opening ceremony, they would begin seeing patients at 1 p.m., they said.
“We’re really excited about this opening with our first three residents here,” Dean Ragain said. He also welcomed Robyn Mays, the program director for the college’s AEGD program already in operation in Nashville.
UTHSC Chancellor Steve Schwab, MD, said the new Memphis clinic reflects the College of Dentistry’s effort to provide care to patients across Tennessee.
“Not only are we developing AEGD and other advanced specialty programs throughout the state of Tennessee, but the dean and his team have led a rural health initiative with a series of senior dental student clinics throughout the state providing badly needed dental care in areas that we refer to as dental deserts,” the chancellor said. “I think it’s a win-win. The students provide great care for patients and the patients in these rural, underserved areas get care they would not get otherwise.”
Bard J. Levey, DDS, assistant professor in the Department of General Dentistry at UTHSC and site director for the AEGD-Memphis program, said he is proud and humbled to help expand the expertise of the three dental residents. “Our goal is clinically excellent outcomes provided in the most compassionate and efficient way possible,” he said.
Clinic hours are 9 a.m. to noon, and 1 to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Prospective patients can reach the AEGD-Memphis clinic at 901.448.2343.