They're building an angel factory

The long line of dignitaries donned their hard-hats and took their shovels and turned dirt for the cameras Wednesday in Augusta at the site of the state's new dental school.

From the sounds of it, we should have made them keep digging.

We need that school now.

Down economy or not, they keep coming to Georgia: The state is looking at its second decade of nearly 25 percent growth. Our research indicates an astounding 100 percent of those new residents have mouths.

And they all bring with them a need for dental care.

To make the challenge even more daunting, Georgia already is behind the curve in terms of producing dentists: The national average supply of dentists is 54.3 per 100,000 residents; Georgia's inventory stands at 41.4 per 100,000 people.

We've got a lot of catching up to do.

Thus, the ceremonial groundbreaking for the new dental school at the Medical College of Georgia here was a historic turning point, and a true reason to celebrate.

When completed in late 2011, the new $112 million, five-story school will increase each of four class sizes from 63 to 100 -- meaning total enrollment eventually will go from 252 now to 400.

Nor is the new school just about numbers of graduates. Due to advances in technology and research, today's dental students have need for much more room than the current 1970 building can provide. At 268,788 square feet, the new building will be 100,000 square feet larger.

Georgia's only dental school will go from being one of the smallest to one of the biggest in the country.

Neither is the whole issue one of numbers. It's about the quality of life, for us and our progeny. According to the Centers for Disease Control, oral and pharyngeal cancers kill 7,000 a year. Dental health is a huge issue for young and old alike: Tooth decay is a problem for 25 percent of kids ages 5 and below, and half of young teens; one-fourth of seniors lose all their teeth, the CDC says.

The dental school at MCG includes a public clinic that records about 50,000 patient visits a year. That, too, will grow with the new school.

And while we generally think of oral problems being restricted to the mouth, the fact is that gum disease is a major contributor to heart disease, stroke and other problems, and a chronic complication for diabetics.

There are economic benefits, too, that will flow from the new school. Construction will support up to 350 good-paying jobs in the Augusta area. And, as Gov. Sonny Perdue noted at the ceremony, some 85 percent of graduates stay in Georgia -- not only tending to our dental health, but creating small businesses throughout the state.

Hundreds attended the groundbreaking Wednesday, including many students and faculty who have joined others in contributing $7.5 million in private gifts to the project.

And if you consider that taking care of others is a mission that's heaven-sent, what we've all invested in is something of an angel factory.

Hearty congratulations are in order for state and local leaders who managed to pull off some complicated maneuvers to get this done -- such as the state's $100 million-plus investment, and the city's putting $10 million into the project, then relocating the residents of the Gilbert Manor public housing that stood on the grounds.

We hesitate to ask for more from those dignitaries in attendance Wednesday, but with the need so great, here goes:

Keep digging!