The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine has started construction of the Richard Lichter Advanced Dentistry and Oral Surgery Suite, a $2.8 million project at Ryan Veterinary Hospital.
“Penn Vet’s Dentistry and Oral Surgery Service is sought by clients from across the nation and attracts the finest residents from around the world,” said Dr. Brady Beale, Ryan Hospital’s director and chief medical officer. “The service has expanded significantly over the past 35 years, and this renovation will now allow us to accommodate our future growth in surgical capacity.”
Penn Vet was the first North American veterinary school to establish an organized veterinary dentistry and oral surgery program.
Major funding for the new suite came from Lichter, a private-equity investor, a member of the Penn Vet board of advisers and the founder of the Richard Lichter Charity for Dogs foundation.
The dental facility is designed to accommodate more patients and “help clinicians better understand various oral conditions, including cancers that affect the head and neck,” according to Penn Vet.
“The addition of the cone-beam computed tomography system will greatly enhance our clinicians’ diagnostic imaging ability to plan for complex surgeries, like cleft palate repair, oral tumor removal and maxillofacial trauma surgery,” said Dr. Alexander Reiter, a professor and chief of the Dentistry and Oral Surgery Service.
He added that the new “imaging modality will provide more efficient care for other surgical patients, such as in neurology and orthopedics.”
In 2019, Penn Vet opened the Richard Lichter Emergency Room at Ryan Hospital following his $2.7 million donation.
Lichter said his contributions to Penn Vet are important “since I have witnessed first-hand the role their veterinarians play in saving the lives of animals who come to Ryan Hospital in dire circumstances.”