The Angelė and Sigitas Kazlauskas Pediatric Dentistry Center Officially Opened at the Faculty of Medicine of Vilnius University

The Angelė and Sigitas Kazlauskas Pediatric Dentistry Center has officially been opened at the Institute of Dentistry of the Faculty of Medicine of Vilnius University (VU). It will significantly contribute to funding free dental care and treatment services for children, prioritising those growing up in socially disadvantaged families or childcare institutions. The symbolic opening ribbon was cut by VU Rector Prof. Dr Rimvydas Petrauskas, Dean of VU MF Prof. Dr Dalius Jatužis, Head of VU Institute of Dentistry Prof. Dr Vilma Brukienė, and Laisvis Makulis who represented the patrons.

According to the Director of the Institute of Dentistry, Prof. Dr Brukienė, the Pediatric Dentistry Center will both support free dental care for children and fund the materials and equipment required for the treatment process that meet the highest quality and innovation standards. Patients will be able to consult the Center regarding dental cases of different complexity.

During the academic year, patients are invited to receive treatment from fourth- and fifth-year Dentistry students at the VU Faculty of Medicine. Working with state-of-the-art technologies, these students provide care under the close supervision of experienced dental professionals. In addition to the most common procedures – dental caries, root canal treatment, and oral hygiene – the patients will also have access to more complex procedures, such as periodontal disease treatment, dental prosthetics, and surgical treatment. The aim is to improve the accessibility of daily treatment for Lithuanian children, regardless of their place of residence. In complex cases, when the treatment of the highest qualified dentistry specialists is required, the Angelė and Sigitas Kazlauskas Pediatric Dentistry Center will contribute financially so that children in such need receive the necessary help as soon as possible.

The new Pediatric Dentistry Center will coordinate the access of young patients to the necessary doctors – analyse the cases of applicants, identify the need for services, and direct them to specialists of the appropriate level so that the patient receives a complete treatment plan without any additional fees.

The aim of the Center’s founders is to make treatment available to as many patients as possible, with the funding capabilities of the Center increasing each year. ‘Upon the patient’s application by phone or via an e-form, we will contact them, assess the complexity of the needed assistance, and draw up a treatment plan. No doctor referrals will be needed,’ said Prof. Dr Brukienė.

According to the latest statistics, there are not many pediatric dentistry specialists in Lithuania: five years ago, 61 pediatric dentistry licenses were issued; this year, we already have 94 pediatric dentistry practitioners, but the number of young patients is almost 500,000. Lithuanian children’s oral health is one of the worst in Europe, with more than 90 per cent of children in need of some treatment. ‘Working with children requires both high competencies in the field of dentistry and skills in psychology. Therefore, only a few dentists specialise in this field because working with children is no small feat. With the help of this Pediatric Dentistry Center in coordinating the process, children will have access to top-level specialists, doctors, and scientists who will introduce the latest science-based methods to the treatment practice,’ commented Prof. Dr Brukienė.

Medical professionals aim to inform the public about pediatric dental care and disease prevention. ‘The prevalence of oral diseases in Lithuania is very high, and there is no preventive dental care programme at the national level yet. Therefore, the Center will try to educate the public about proper dental care through various means,’ explained Prof. Dr Brukienė. In the future, the Center plans to use the funds to develop various programmes to prevent oral diseases.

The establishment of this Center was made possible by the continuous funding secured last year, supported by the return on investment from the Angelė and Sigitas Kazlauskas (Lithuanian Canadian odontologists) Endowment Sub-Fund established at Vilnius University Foundation. Thanks to these funds, the Center can fully cover the costs of all services; therefore, the selected patients will receive the services they need at no cost. ‘The mission of the Center is to deliver services from the prevention to the treatment of the most complex cases, i.e. to provide the full range of services under one roof free of charge,’ reiterated Prof. Dr Brukienė.

Part of the return from the sub-fund will be allocated to the Angelė and Sigitas Kazlauskas scholarships, designed to incentivise VU students of dentistry. In addition, it is planned to invest in the acquisition of new training equipment so that students can work with the most modern equipment. Handling patient cases first-hand will provide practical knowledge to future dentists, enhancing their academic practice and thereby ensuring the strengthened future growth of the community of pediatric dentists.

Philanthropists Dr Angelė Matilde and Dr Sigitas Pranas Kazlauskas were Lithuanian Canadian odontologists from the Biržai region who, as children, fled to the West during the war together with their parents. They both acquired higher education in dentistry at the University of Toronto, where they first met. The couple dedicated their lives together for many decades, engaging in their work activities and noble goals to improve the dental health of society. For over six decades, they treated patients with love, including many celebrities, and provided free-of-charge services to numerous patients in need.

The couple worked towards the accessibility of dental services to Lithuanians throughout their lives: they established a support fund thanks to which many dental treatment dispensaries have been established in Lithuanian towns; they organised the transfer of medicines, medical instruments, and equipment to Lithuania numerous times, even initiating a project ‘S.O.S. Lithuania’ for mobilising support for this purpose; and after the restoration of Lithuania’s independence, they established a network of contacts, seeking to open up opportunities for cooperation and professional development training for dentists studying and working in Lithuania.

Having expressed in their will their wish that the family’s assets of EUR 4.2 million be allocated to support organisations operating in Lithuania, the philanthropists Angelė and Sigitas Kazlauskas allowed their bequest to contribute towards their noble goals, thus ensuring the continuity of their legacy of lifelong concern for public health. Upon the decision of the trustee of the estate, Algis Pacevičius Pace, the Angelė and Sigitas Kazlauskas Endowment Sub-Fund was established by the VU Foundation from the bequeathed funds. The return on investment will ensure continued funding for developing the pediatric dentistry field and improving dentistry studies and science at VU.

The VU Angelė and Sigitas Kazlauskas Pediatric Dentistry Center is now open, and appointments for free dental procedures for children are now available:
● by phone: +370 5 272 8243
● by email:
● by filling in the registration form: https://forms.office.com/e/Ph6yr1kxtF

VU Angelė and Sigitas Kazlauskas Pediatric Dentistry Center
Institute of Dentistry of VU Faculty of Medicine
Žalgirio Clinic of VU Hospital Santaros Klinikos
Address: Žalgirio g. 117, Vilnius (2 Floor) Room 234
Phone: +370 5 272 8243