The University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry opened a satellite dental clinic to improve dental health in rural Alabama.
UAB Dentistry Dothan is a first-of-its-kind clinic designed to recruit, educate, train and retain dentists to alleviate the dentist shortage in the Wiregrass region, according to a Feb. 26 news release.
The clinic has eight exam chairs and is staffed by the dental school's faculty, offering preventive care, restorative treatments, cosmetic services, and emergency dental care including root canals and tooth extractions.
More than 70% of Alabama's counties are currently experiencing a dental shortage. In Dothan, Ala., there are only around 60 general dentists for nearly 500,000 individuals in a 50-mile radius.
The school received a $3.4 million appropriation from the state to develop and implement the model and clinic, the release said.