Pediatric Dental Center

Creating a Hospital Based Pediatric Dental Center

In 1995, St. Joseph Hospital opened the Pediatric Dental Center in response to a growing need among the hospital's pediatric clinic patients and its participation in a pilot dental sealant project in two Providence elementary schools. The Pediatric Dental Center offers comprehensive services ranging from routine dental care and emergency services, to nutrition and dental health education. The Dental Center also accepts children from birth to age twenty years for both preventative and restorative treatment. "We try to guide children to a lifetime of good oral health," says Daniel J. Kane, D.M.D., Dental Director of the Pediatric Dental Center and one of only nine pediatric dentists in Rhode Island. Dr. Kane leads a team of highly experienced dentists, hygienists, dental assistants and bilingual support staff that delivers high quality care in a modern environment. These patients deserve and are afforded the best possible treatment and facilities.

Many children are immigrants to the United States and their parents are not educated about the importance of good oral health, and don't seek dental services. For most children, it is their first dental care experience. So helping these children also means speaking their language and understanding their culture. Because of the Pediatric Dental Center staff's diverse ethnicity, patients and their families can converse and express themselves more easily. As such, staff are also in a position to learn more about their patients and their needs for other medical and support services. It's what makes the hospital's community health center and dental program so unique and well received by patients.