The University of Iowa College of Dentistry will no longer accept new adult Medicaid patients, officials announced this week.

New Medicaid patients will continue to be accepted at the UI Hospitals & Clinics, the Geriatric and Special Needs clinic, and in the emergency clinic for pain and swelling relief. The 8,000 current Medicaid patients on record will continue to be served.

Associate Dean for Patient Care Michael Kanellis sent a letter to Dental Director for the Iowa Medicaid Enterprise aying the decision to remove the Dental Wellness Plan was a difficult one.

“The management of the Dental Wellness Plan program has become so complicated that we no longer have the ability or resources to effectively oversee additional Dental Wellness Plan patients,” Kanellis wrote.

— Katelyn Weisbrod