Dentistry & Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

The Division of Dentistry & Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery uses a child and family centered approach to provide dental care to children and adolescents, with great focus on those with medical conditions. Our mission is to provide every child with a healthy smile. We achieve this through our hospital involvement, clinical care, teaching and research activities.

We provide a full range of dental services for children and adolescents, including but not limited to comprehensive treatment for traumatic dental injuries, early childhood caries and patients affected by congenital and acquired craniofacial abnormalities. We offer dental treatment under conscious sedation (nitrous oxide – “laughing gas”; and oral sedation) as well as dental surgeries under general anesthesia.

The Division of Dentistry & Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is an invaluable partner to the hospital’s numerous departments and services. In particular, the trauma unit, the craniofacial and cleft surgery unit, the emergency department, and other tertiary care services. The division collaborates closely with Mackay Rehabilitation Centre (Saliva Management Clinic) and it is the dental reference centre of the Shriners Hospital for Children – Canada

In addition to the general pediatrics dental clinic, the Division of Dentistry & Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is home to specialized clinics targeting specific vulnerable populations. The Tiny teeth, Big Smiles clinic offers preventive and conservative dental care as well as advice on oral health to families of very young children.

The Special Needs Orthodontic Clinic helps neurodiverse children and children with cognitive impairments and medical conditions benefit from orthodontic treatments.

The Immigrant and Refugee Pediatric Dental Clinic offers dental care to refugee and new immigrant children who do not yet have access to dental care due to financial constraints and lack of insurance.

1. General Practice Residency

The McGill University Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences provides general practice residency programs at multiple hospital sites, one of which is at the Montreal Children’s Hospital.

The goal of this one year program is to provide recent dental graduates with a broad multidisciplinary approach to the clinical practice of Dentistry in a pediatric setting. Our site offers training in pediatric dental care, with a focus on the medically compromised and special needs populations. However, exposure to other specialties is also major component of the training program. The specialties available at our division include Pediatric dentistry, Orthodontics, Endodontics, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Prosthodontics and Periodontics.

For further information with regards to the residency program, please refer to the Faculty website or contact Dr. Edwin Chan at [email protected] 

1. Fellowship

The Pediatric Dental Care for Patients with Complex Needs Fellowship is designed to train qualified and competent pediatric dentists who seek deep knowledge of special care and social pedodontics, further preparing them for a career in academics, a hospital-based setting, a community-based clinic and/or a private setting.

The Fellow would be exposed to the diagnosis, treatment planning and clinical execution of dental treatment of a large clinical volume of pediatric and adolescent patients who are medically compromised, affected by congenital and acquired craniofacial abnormalities, and/or patients with special health care needs, including cultural competency.

For further information with regards to the fellowship program, please contact Dr. Annie Marleau at [email protected]

The Division's research is focused on three key research domains: (i) children’s oral health; (ii) novel techniques in pediatric dentistry; and (iii) medically compromised children and children with rare conditions and syndromes.

We are proud of the breadth of innovative research currently taking place in our Division. This thriving research environment is due to the contribution of research scientists, the research conducted within the General Practice Residency and Fellowship programs and our dental clinicians.

For further information with regards to the research conducted at the Division, please contact Dr. Beatriz Ferraz dos Santos at [email protected]

Cai J, Habib D, Bedos C, Ferraz dos Santos B. Parents' Perceptions Regarding the Effectiveness of Dental Desensitization for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Pediatric Dentistry. 2022 May 15;44(3):192-7.

Hashemi S, Ferraz dos Santos B, Chiasson G. Does the Transversus Abdominis Plane Block Reduce Morbidity Following Iliac Crest Bone Harvest in Pediatric Patients With Alveolar Clefts?. The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal. 2021: Nov 17.

Malik P, Ferraz Dos Santos B, Girard F, Hovey R, Bedos C. Physical constraint in pediatric dentistry: the lived experience of parents. JDR Clinical & Translational Research. 2022 Oct;7(4):371-8.

Roy A, Ferraz dos Santos B, Rompre P, Nishio C. Dental malocclusion among children with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). American Journal of Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics. 2020, 158(5):694-698.

Ferraz dos Santos B, Dabbagh B. A ten-year retrospective study of pediatric emergency department visits for dental conditions in Canada. International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry. 2020, 30: 741-748.

Haikal L, Ferraz dos Santos B, Vu D, et al. Biodentine pulpotomies on permanent traumatized teeth with complicated crown fractures. Journal of Endodontics. 2020, 46(9): 1204-1208.

Dabbagh B, Cukier O, Yeganeh M, Halal F, Ferraz dos Santos B. Pachyonychia Congenita associated with a novel variant of KRT17 presented with multiple natal teeth. Journal of Dentistry for Children. 2019 86:1,61-63.

Moreau A-M*, Hennous F, Dabbagh B, Ferraz dos Santos B. Oral health status of refugee children in Montreal.  Journal of immigrant and Minority Health. 2018, 21(4), 693-698

Chan E*, Desmeules M, Dabbagh B, Ferraz dos Santos B. Longitudinal Cohort Study of Regenerative Endodontic Treatment for Immature Necrotic Permanent Teeth.  Journal of Endodontics. 2017, 43.3: 395-400.2

Fontaine-Sylvestre C*, Roy A, Dabbagh B, Ferraz dos Santos B. Prevalence of malocclusion among Canadian children with Autism spectrum disorder. American Journal of Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics. 2017, 152(1): 38-41.