Pikes Peak State College debuts a new dental health career center
This article was originally published on Denver7.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Pikes Peak State College (PPSC) performed a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday to celebrate the introduction of its newly renovated Delta Dental Oral Health Career Center.
The Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation awarded its largest ever grant to help create this state-of-the-art facility. This will help the school to accredit a dental hygiene program, which will increase the pool of candidates in the region as it experiences a shortage of dental hygienists and dental assistants.
Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation is investing nearly $11 million into oral healthcare access in Colorado. PPSC was selected to help expand and diversify dental hygiene programs in the state.
“Delta Dental’s confidence in PPSC through this extraordinary and generous gift has launched our campaign to develop additional resources that not only support our students but also address needs in our community," PPSC President Lance Bolton said. "This unique training facility enables the college to implement a new dental hygiene program and expand the existing dental assisting program. This opportunity stands out because Colorado Springs is one of the largest metro areas in the nation without a dental hygienist program, and our region suffers from a significant shortage of dental health professionals."
Colorado ranks 48th nationally in training facilities for dental hygienists and lower than that for dental assistants. The new facility is a step toward increasing that national ranking and providing people with the oral healthcare they need.
The new facility will feature two clinics with a total of 20 chairs. They will also include high-fidelity simulation to decrease risk while offering a hands-on and interactive learning experience for students. The use of advanced dental technology such as intra-oral and 3D imaging, and CAD/CAM crown design and production will be available to use in the facility as well.
With the completion of the facility, the dental assisting program will use the space until the fall semester when the dental hygiene program will become fully accredited.
"This investment is focused on supporting a workforce that’s more reflective of our state's population. So that first of all people of all races and backgrounds see opportunity in dentistry, but also the customers know that they'll be given their care and more culturally competent manner that they're comfortable in," Gov. Jared Polis said.