UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-KANSAS CITY

School of Dentistry Opens Innovation Clinic

September 23, 2013

(The following was submitted by the Division of Strategic Marketing and Communications.)

The University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry unveiled a new, innovative approach that will teach future dentists and dental hygienists the tools of the trade in a high-tech, contemporary dental practice setting.

The Dr. Charles Dunlap Innovation Center for Research and Education in Technology is a test and simulation lab for students to get hands-on experience with the latest in state-of-the-art equipment. The UMKC School of Dentistry is one of just a few dental schools in the nation to have this type of a clinic.

The Innovation Center at the School of Dentistry exposes students to both the clinical and business sides of running a practice, melding those with ethical practice underpinnings. They will explore models such as group practice, sole practitioner and independent contractor. Among other skills, they will learn team leadership and critical business evaluation techniques.

Patient care starts this month at the center. Dental and dental hygiene students will rotate through the clinic. There are seven dental operatories in which students will experience the future of dental care through this state-of-the art facility.

The Innovation Center at the School of Dentistry is a partnership with the Center for Research and Education in Technology (CRET), a group of leaders from the dental industry. CRET also partnered with Loma Linda School of Dentistry in California to create a clinic; the UMKC School of Dentistry is the second partnership.

Six manufacturers donated the equipment to the 2,026-square-foot center. The Stanley H. Durwood Foundation and other alumnae and friends of the school honored Dunlap (DDS, ’60), who had a 45-year career at UMKC. About $2.25 million was raised for the center and its staffing. James Trotter, DDS, and a clinical assistant professor at the School of Dentistry, is the director.