$21 million Dentistry and Oral Health School opens in Arnold Street

LA Trobe University’s state-of-the-art twenty-one-million-dollar Rural Dentistry and Oral Health Clinical School has officially opened in Arnold Street, featuring eighty-two simulation workstations. Inside are 16 dental chairs, new advanced radiology and digital denture-making equipment.

The new facility, located within La Trobe’s Clinical Teaching Building and adjacent to the Bendigo Health campus, will aim to provide dentistry and oral health students living in and around the region access to the best equipment and opportunities.

Last year, nearly 80 per cent of La Trobe’s dentistry students were from regional Victoria, compared to 13 per cent in 2019.

Regional enrolments are set to grow even further, with the university expecting a 58 per cent increase in dentistry and oral health enrolments in Bendigo by 2030, with an additional 50 to 55 dentistry and oral health students expected to graduate annually from then.

The redevelopment is part of La Trobe’s $170 million health innovation investment across all Victorian campuses to strengthen health education facilities and deliver high-quality care to communities.

“This facility will provide our students with a learning environment that mirrors real clinical practice, boosting their job readiness while also responding to significant community needs for qualified dental professionals across rural and regional Australia,” La Trobe Vice-Chancellor Professor Theo Farrell said at the launch.

Premier and Member for Bendigo East Jacinta Allan, also attending the launch, said the new amenities will mean regional students can access world-class dental education close to home, “helping to build the workforce we need, where it’s needed.”