Benefits
The Oral Health Centre will help address some major public health issues caused by Queenslanders' dental health being amongst the worst in Australia.
Dental problems can affect our general health, making this is a significant public health problem. Periodontal (gum) problems, in particular, have been linked with heart disease, diabetes control issues and premature birth.
Currently, there are major challenges to Queensland’s ability to respond to this major public health issue:
- there is an urgent need for more patient treatment services
- public patients, in particular, are waiting long periods for treatment
- there is a serious shortage of dentists dental specialists and oral health therapists
- current clinic and educational facilities at the Turbot Street site cannot be expanded
- there are no integrated facilities for treatment of oral cancer, despite it being one of the most common forms of cancer.
The Oral Health Centre will help by:
- educating more dental students by providing a new larger home for UQ’s School of Dentistry
- providing facilities for dental care for patients from the RBWH and patients with special needs
- boosting research and specialised patient services, in areas such as oral cancer
- focusing on translating research into improved patient care.