The University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry recently opened a pediatric outpatient center that is set to serve 1,000 children annually.
The Oak Brook-based Illinois Children's Healthcare Foundation Pediatric Dentistry Outpatient Care Center was built in response to increasing numbers of children needing dental procedures that require general anesthesia.
"Because of our large volume of patients, many had to wait many months to get an appointment," said Marcio da Fonseca, DDS, professor and head of pediatric dentistry at the Chicago Dental Society Foundation. "Once the center is fully operational, we hope that the wait time will be only a few weeks after the child's initial appointment."
The center — with four procedure rooms and two general anesthesia suites — will serve healthy children at low risk of complications. A formal opening is planned for spring 2021.