The opening of a pediatric dental unit at Maui Memorial Medical Center means parents no longer have to fly their special-needs children to Honolulu for work that can’t be done in a regular dentist’s office, The Maui News reported this week.

Those challenges prompted Dr. Colleen Inouye, chief of staff at Maui Memorial Medical Center, to figure out how to bring a pediatric dental facility to the hospital.

Local dentist Sonia Gupta has joined the program, along with anesthesiologists from the hospital.

The Lutheran Medical Center in New York offered to rotate dentists through Maui as part of its residency program.

The Hawaii Dental Society provided money for a portable X-ray machine with a pediatric attachment, and Patterson Dental Supply donated equipment.