PRACTICE PERSPECTIVES
Why Missouri’s Dental Schools Matter
by DAVID THEIN, DDS, MSD, MBA I
’m excited to resume offering the Practice Perspectives column in this issue of Focus with a topic that we all have in common, dental school. We currently have three independent institutions in Missouri. UMKC School of Dentistry had its founding roots as Kansas City Dental College established in 1881. It then merged with Kansas City Western Dental College in 1919, became the University of Kansas City School of Dentistry (UMKC SOD) in 1941, and finally joined with the University of Missouri system in 1971 to continue its storied history to the present.
A.T. Still University-Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ATSU-MOSDOH), which opened in 2013 in Kirksville, is the most recent affiliate graduate healthcare program to join ATSU which began originally as the American School of Osteopathy (ASO) in 1892.
The state’s newest dental school, KCU College of Dental Medicine in Joplin (KCU- CDM), will formally begin its first class this coming fall. Its parent institution, Kansas City University, began in 1916 as the Kansas City College of Osteopathy and Surgery (KCCOS). KCU opened its second medical school cam- pus in Joplin in 2017 followed by the dental college this year.
Regardless of your academic pedigree, I think you will find our discussion here to be both beneficial for our region as a whole and maybe to your individual situation as well. I selected the deans of our respective schools as subject matter experts who are well- positioned to guide us in this discussion. Their role as deans requires wearing multiple hats: educator, manager, visionary and entrepre-
26 focus | SUMMER 2023 | ISSUE 2
neur. I’ve presented each with a similar slate of questions focusing on why dental schools continue to matter, even after we graduate.
Dental education and the infrastructure as- sociated with it continue to evolve on many fronts. Some dentists have never returned to their alma mater since graduation. While others, like me, have remained engaged in a variety of ways and never really left! Regard- less of your past connection to the institution that trained you (or lack thereof), we are fortunate here in Missouri to have the diver- sity of dental educational resources that we do. With each dean’s first-hand knowledge of their own school, we will bring you up to speed on the progress and vision of Missouri’s three dental schools.
DR. STEVEN HAAS, UMKC SOD
As the newest leader of UMKC SOD, can you briefly outline your 5-10 year future vision for the dental school and its engagement with the community at large?
We’re updating our strategic plan, planning new clinical facilities and addressing rural needs and disparities. At the same time, we have our accreditation site visit in 2025, so there are a lot of things going on at the same time. The strategic plan was due for an up- date and needed to be better aligned with the strategic plan of the overall UMKC plan, with measurable metrics. To get a jump start, we already have formed committees to work on our self-study document for accreditation. As for the needs of Missouri, it is clear from the data from numerous sources that our state is extremely underserved in dental health- care. This was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic but has been coming for a while.
Retirements, the aging Baby Boomer genera- tion, the Millennial generation, etc. are all applying forces on the dental workforce. Now, add in the drop in high school gradu- ates expected around 2026, and it should be no surprise that the dental needs of the people of Missouri will increase while our dental workforce will struggle to serve them. It is my belief that dental schools should be at the forefront of trying to solve these problems. Therefore, we are making plans to help provide this care along with our fellow dental colleagues.
Perhaps the biggest news around UMKC today is the planning and construction of a new, cutting-edge dental/medical facility that is due to upgrade many facets of the existing infra- structure by 2026. Can you give us a current overview of that project?
The Healthcare Innovation and Delivery Building will house new dental teaching clinics and expanded medical school teach- ing facilities that will enable UMKC to train more healthcare professionals to help meet growing needs. It also will include space for the NextGen Data Science and Analytics Innovation Center, our biomedical engi- neering program and the UMKC Health Equity Institute, which develops programs and policies to improve healthcare for the underserved. By providing space for interdis- ciplinary collaboration, there are direct ben- efits to both dentistry and medical students. For the School of Medicine, the building will provide space for simulation labs and more classrooms. For the School of Dentistry, the building will increase the number of patients who can be seen at dental clinics. It also will allow space for new technology to enable a
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