August 8, 2008

Vancouver, BC – UBC Faculty of Dentistry general practice dental residents are now able to expand their experience in the newly established Oral Care Program for the Medically Complex Patient (OCPMCP) at the Dentistry Department at Vancouver General Hospital.

OCPMCP provides an alternative out-patient oral care/dental service for medically complex patients, those for which community dental facilities might be less adequately equipped to provide a safe and efficient patient care environment. Medically complex conditions include unstable cardiovascular haematological diseases, peri-cancer treatment states, and organ failure, such as those affecting the kidney or liver.

VGH’s Oral Care Program consists of dental hospital residents and certified dental assistants with institutional dentistry experience. “The unique feature of this program is the integration of medical sciences and dental technology to optimize care for patients with medical concerns”,  explained by Dr. Samson Ng, program director, who is a certified specialist in oral medicine and oral pathology and a clinical assistant professor at UBC. In addition to the oral care program, general dentistry service is also provided to the public through a dentistry team coordinated by Drs. Renee Duprat, Asif Tejani, and Sara Bishara Bisha.

UBC Dental Residents and Medically Complex Patients

The UBC Faculty of Dentistry General Practice Residency Training Program (GPR) provides advanced postgraduate training in several dental specialties and includes clinical and operating room dentistry, weekly education seminars and community education rotations to Haida Gwaii and Vietnam. VGH (one of three UBC teaching hospitals) serves as a significant training facility for its GPR program, as well as several other post graduate programs at UBC including: Periodontics and Oral Medicine and Pathology.

Similar to community dental services, the oral care program at VGH is fee-for-dental service. Suitable patients, who have medical service plan (MSP) and is referred by a MSP-enrolled dental or medical practitioner, will have the initial consultation fee covered under the plan.

For further information and referral, please contact:

VGH Dentistry Department
Telephone: (604) 875-4006
Referral to the Oral Care Program for the Medically Complex Patient