Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

University of New England: Oral Health Center

  • 11/01/14
University of New England (UNE) College of Dental Medicine

PHOTOS © DARREN SETLOW

In the Fall of 2013, the University of New England (UNE) College of Dental Medicine, the first dental college in northern New England, welcomed an inaugural class of 64 dental students. The new dental program was developed to address the growing shortage of dentists in Maine and provides a platform for dental students to gain valuable clinical experience while offering the public access to affordable dental care.

The Oral Health Center, designed by Port City Architecture with consultant Kahler Slater and built by AlliedCook Construction, is the centerpiece and home of the dental program. The 38,000-squarefoot, two-story educational and patient care facility is located on the UNE’s historic Portland, ME, campus. The facility’s exterior, a combination of brick, glass and contemporary porcelain tile panels, complements the traditional New England-style campus buildings and green.

The waiting area, designed to provide a soothing and comforting atmosphere, includes a fireplace, an abundance of natural light and a warm color palette that is carried throughout the building. Within the educational wing is a 64-seat Dental Simulation Center where students develop and hone skills, as well as 15 dental stations, X-ray support, a clinical support lab and offices. A dispensary features a clinical-scale autoclave for sterilization of equipment and tools.

Sixty-one stations are utilized by second- and third-year students providing direct patient care under the supervision of licensed dental faculty. Also within the Oral Health Center are an urgent care clinic; the Delta Dental Comprehensive Care Clinic; a dental special care clinic; a radiology suite; and dental residency program.

The Oral Health Center becomes fully operational in 2017 and will treat an estimated 12,000 to 15,000 patients per year.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • St. Lucie County, Fla., Breaks Ground on New K–8 School

    St. Lucie Public Schools in St. Lucie County, Fla., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new K–8 school, according to a news release. The district partnered with Spiezle Architectural Group, Inc., for the design of the upcoming Ft. Pierce K–8 School, which comprises six buildings covering 215,000 square feet.

  • University of Rochester to Break Ground on New Student Life Center

    The University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y., recently began construction on a new Student Life building, according to a news release. The first floor will contain campus-wide gathering, program, and rehearsal space; the second floor will play home to the Greenbaum Center for Jewish Life.

  • Montclair State University Debuts New VR Facility

    Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., recently announced the completion of a new virtual reality learning facility developed in partnership with Dreamscape Learn, according to a news release. The 2,450-square-foot lab space is inside the College of Communication and Media building and will serve students pursuing careers in digital media, virtual reality, and content creation.

  • CSU Starts Construction on New Engineering Building

    Colorado State University in Denver, Colo., recently began clearing space for the construction of the new Don and Susie Law Engineering Future Technologies Building, according to a news release.