The dean and several faculty members from the Loma Linda University School of Dentistry (LLUSD) recently dedicated a new, state-of-the-art dental clinic in Yerevan, Armenia, that will be a focal point for a “Family Dentistry Residency” training program aimed at equipping local dentists for family care.

Several years of negotiations between the Armenian National Institute of Health (ANIH) and the Armenian Ministry of Health, and two years of program development, culminated in the new residency training. ANIH has received approval from the Armenian government to establish the residency program.

Before this program, the only clinical training available to Armenian dentists after five years of Medical University training was a one-year internship, typically followed by a specialty training program. An agreement signed in 2001 between LLUSD and the ANIH, headed by Derenik Dumanian, MD, stipulated that LLUSD would provide guidance and expertise in setting up this new program.

During the opening ceremony Dean Charles Goodacre, DDS, said the School of Dentistry is pleased to be associated with this new program. This program represents a large step forward in the training of Armenian dentists to increase the availability and accessibility to quality dental care for the Armenian people, he said, and LLUSD is committed to continued cooperation with this program.  Goodacre announced a gift of $10,000 to be used toward the completion of the Pediatric Dentistry facility within the clinic.

Armenian National Television covered the opening ceremony with reports on the evening news. Representatives from national government, the Armenian Dental Society, and other interested organizations attended the event. Maryjo Ordway, wife of John Ordway, the United States Ambassador to Armenia, was an honored guest.

ANIH held a dedication ceremony for a mobile dental clinic that will be used in the service learning component on the ANIH program, as well as by volunteer dentists and LLUSD students on clerkship assignment. The mobile clinic, the second to be placed in operation in Armenia, will serve children and others in orphanages, summer camps, and villages where no other form of dental care is available. This $30,000 mobile unit was the result of a joint effort among the Armenian Dental Society of California, the National Association of Seventh-day Adventist Dentists, and Rotary International.

The LLUSD delegation also met with government officials during their visit, including Norayr Davidyan, minister of health; Artashes Toumanian, chief of staff to the president of Armenia; Ara-Ter Grigoryan, head of the state health agency; and Vilen Hakobyan, rector of Yerevan State Medical University.

The Loma Linda University School of Dentistry, established in 1953, is operated by Loma Linda University, a world-renowned school and medical health facility operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.