WCC's dental clinic receives 30 computers with state grant
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on July 2, 2007 1:46 PM
A new computerized system in the dental offices at Wayne Community College has been added to better prepare students for the workforce they will soon enter.
Through the state community college system's Allied Health Enhancement Fund, WCC acquired a $122,100 grant earlier in the school year. The funding provided 30 new computers as well as training for staff members.
The Dentrex system is popular in many private dental practices, said Dr. Allessandra Lowery, who became head of the dental department in September.
"It's capable of accommodating digital images (x-rays), patient chart management, appointments," she explained, noting that it will be used for dental hygiene and dental assisting students as well as the reception office.
Students in the program attend classes year-round. The dental hygiene clinic operates 10 months out of the year and dental assisting is open seven months, with an estimated 52 patients seen each day of operation, said Annette Hill, department secretary.
The Dentrex system will serve 60 dental hygiene students and 24 in the dental assisting program.
With record-keeping practices rapidly changing because of modern technology, the department is working to incorporate the use of computers. But they will not entirely replace paper charts, Dr. Lowery added.
"We still use those because our students are going to encounter that in the office," she said. "We're not getting rid of the charts yet."