The Oral and Dental Centre, which will begin operating in Meilahti during spring and early summer, brings together a wide range of dental services and expertise from non-urgent care to special procedures and surgery. The renovated premises on Haartmaninkatu are also used to train future dentists.
The new premises have been designed and refurbished for oral health care and dentistry education.
The Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS), University of Helsinki and City of Helsinki all operate at the Oral and Dental Centre.
Oral and maxillofacial surgery moved to the premises in April
HUS’s Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Outpatient Clinic was the first one to move to the Oral and Dental Centre on Haartmaninkatu and begin operations in April.
The new premises include operating rooms for minor procedures. The Eye and Ear Hospital nearby features an inpatient ward for oral and maxillofacial surgery. Meilahti Hospital, which handles patients requiring more demanding treatment, is also in the vicinity. Thanks to the new premises, the outpatient clinic has had more time for procedures.
Teaching to begin in May
The patient operations of HUS’s Oral Diseases and Dental Care Unit will begin at the new premises on 24 May.
“The use of the premises was designed for teaching activities in cooperation with the staff and dental students,” says Jaana Rautava, head of the dentistry programme at the University of Helsinki.
The new premises feature a modern three-section clinic area with 36 treatment stations, five reception rooms and one procedure room. Each treatment station features an X-ray machine. The supplies have been collected into a single location, which makes work significantly easier for the 150 students.
The university premises will also be gaining new simulation equipment for the students to learn new procedures. This will improve patient safety.
“The move to the Meilahti campus will provide students with more opportunities to learn about the specialised treatment of oral diseases. It will also facilitate the cooperation between HUS, the University of Helsinki and the City of Helsinki. Basic health care patients are in the same building, which means that we can decentralise clinical treatment training within the Oral and Dental Centre,” says Chief Physician Risto Kontio, HUS’s Head of Division for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.
Non-urgent and urgent care starting from June
Some of the dental care services provided by the City of Helsinki will be moving to the Oral and Dental Centre.
As of Tuesday 8 June, the services of the Meilahti Dental Clinic will be available at the Haartmaninkatu facility. Operations at the current Meilahti Dental Clinic will be discontinued.
The new emergency service point of the City of Helsinki dental services will also operate at the Oral and Dental Centre starting from 14 June. The services will be available on weekdays 8:00–15:00. In the same context, urgent dental care in Kalasatama will be discontinued. Urgent care at the Myllypuro Dental Clinic will continue as normal alongside the Meilahti services.
“The new premises enable more efficient and faster services. Most of all, this benefits emergency patients but also other customers, such as those who need more treatment than usual,” says Nina Erno-Ustinov, who is in charge of the City’s urgent and non-urgent dental care at the Oral and Dental Centre.
“Our professionals are highly motivated to move to Haartmaninkatu in June. The staff have been actively involved in planning the change,” Erno-Ustinov adds.
Unit for Specialised Oral Care to begin in June
The Unit for Specialised Oral Care in the Metropolitan Area will begin operating at the Oral and Dental Centre on 9 June. The unit, which will move from Pikku-Huopalahti, will serve the residents of Helsinki, Espoo, Kauniainen and Kirkkonummi. Helsinki is in charge of the operations of the unit that provides specialised dental care.
The unit’s services include surgery, treatment of gum diseases and children’s dental care. Appointments require a dentist’s referral.
“Specialised oral care services will now gain amazing premises in which to operate. The Oral and Dental Centre and the Meilahti Hospital area provide a good foundation for collaboration between different operators,” says Senior Dental Officer Marja Noponen, who heads the specialised oral care services.
“The Oral and Dental Centre is a combination of oral health care, dentistry education and research that is wholly unique in Finland,” Noponen says in summary.
The Oral and Dental Centre is located across the street from Women’s Hospital
The address of the Oral and Dental Centre is Haartmaninkatu 1. The building is in a location that is easily accessible on all modes of transport. The closest bus stop is on Haartmaninkatu.
The building was constructed in 1948–1951. The planning process for the Oral and Dental Centre was started in 2018. The project was implemented in cooperation with the City of Helsinki, HUS, University of Helsinki and eQ Commercial Properties Fund. The main contractor for the construction was NCC.