The Vice-Chancellor of Charles Sturt University (CSU) Professor Ian Goulter today welcomed the support of Orange Mayor John Davis and Orange City Council for CSU’s plans to create a new School of Dentistry and Oral Health in inland NSW.

 

Mayor Davis said: “Training dentists in places like Orange and Wagga Wagga is a major step towards securing more dentists for regional and rural areas in the future”.

 

In acknowledging the support of Orange City Council, Professor Goulter said: “Orange City Council has been heavily involved in the planning and consultations for the new School and has given a great deal of support and advice over the past six months.

 

“We see our proposal as having major flow-on benefits for all the local councils in our area and it will provide real opportunities for students throughout inland NSW to study dentistry or oral health closer to home.  It will also significantly increase the number of dental and oral health graduates returning to the regions to practise,” said Professor Goulter.

 

Experience in other CSU health courses such as pharmacy and physiotherapy has shown that regional students trained by CSU has significantly increased the number of recent graduates working in inland NSW.

 

CSU last week submitted a proposal to the Deputy Prime Minister Mr Mark Vaile calling on the Australian Government to provide $54.4 million to fund the establishment of a School of Dentistry and Oral Health based in Orange and Wagga Wagga to address the chronic shortage of dentists and oral health workers in inland NSW.

 

The new School would include Dental Education Clinics located on CSU campuses throughout inland NSW that will provide dental services to public and private patients as part of the clinical education program.