GSDM Residents Play an Unexpected Role in the OR

“A few years ago, Dean Hutter approached me about a friend of his (with special health care needs) who needed root canal treatment done in the operating room, so I contacted the Endodontic Department and arranged for an Endodontic resident to come and do the treatment at Franciscan Hospital for Children,” said GSDM Director of the Advanced Specialty Education Program in Pediatric Dentistry Dr. Wendy Cheney.

After this, a volunteer relationship was born between post-doctoral students and the Franciscan Hospital for Children (FHC). Since then, interested endodontic residents, such as Ghyath Alkhalil ENDO 12, have received credentials to provide care in the OR at FHC. Alkhalil visits FHC a couple of times a month for a half- to full-day commitment and Manuel Posada PROS 12 has also volunteered at FHC, providing crowns on the anterior teeth of two special needs teenagers. Posada’s work took three visits to the OR to complete.

“The care these residents are providing takes a lot of organization and the residents are donating their time and materials,” added Dr. Cheney. “They are providing endodontic and prosthodontic work on anterior teeth that have been damaged mostly as a result of trauma. These teenagers can’t tolerate treatment in the usual manner, and would therefore have to go around with fractured anterior teeth, if it weren’t for the residents’ help.”

Pediatric Dentistry residents spend one year of their training at FHC, which is how FHC and GSDM are affiliated. Dr. Cheney is in charge of organizing the additional volunteer efforts.

She says, “This service for young, special needs patients is REALLY hard to come by. Having these specialists-in-training provide the treatment results in truly excellent care.”