UBC has opened the first oral health research centre between a North American university and a hospital in Southeast Asia in Vietnam.
The centre is a partnership between the National Hospital of Odonto-Stomatology in Ho Chi Minh City and the Faculty of Dentistry, University of British Columbia.
The oral health research centre presents a valuable opportunity to exchange knowledge between visiting dentistry residents, UBC faculty, Vietnamese scholars, dental students and general dentists.
The opening ceremony, attended by over 200 people including Deborah Chatsis, Canada's ambassador to Vietnam, other Canadian diplomats as well as Vietnamese officials, was followed by a two-day program of educational exchange by professors from UBC.
Drs. Markus Haapasalo, Catherine Poh, Charles Shuler, Michele Williams and Edward Yen, all professors from UBC Dentistry, presented continuing dental education topics in oral cancer, orthodontics, endodontics and oral biology to their Vietnamese colleagues as well as foreign visitors.
Proud of cooperating with UBC, Dr. Lam Hoai Phuong, director of the National Hospital of Odonto-Stomatology, sees tremendous value in the exchange of knowledge between people from the Canadian and Vietnamese institutions.
UBC Dentistry represents a significant link to improve oral health internationally. The establishment of a research centre for oral health, in partnership with the Vietnamese government, its universities and national hospital, strengthens service learning opportunities for UBC students and faculty and results in capacity building for Vietnam to teach, develop and apply high standards in oral health.
"An expanded presence of UBC Dentistry in Vietnam increases the quality and impact of its research and scholarship and underscores the Faculty as a world leader in knowledge exchange and mobilization," says Dr. Charles Shuler, dean of UBC Dentistry.
The centre aims to develop original evidence-based research and clinical trials in oral/facial oncology (cancer and HPV), cariology (cavities and tooth decay) and developmental biology (cleft lip/palate) and other growth and development diseases.
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