The UNLV School of Dental Medicine, located within the Las Vegas Medical District, continues its 12-year history of providing oral health care to the city’s residents through reduced-cost services as well as low-cost and no-cost community clinics.

Each year, the school – the only undergraduate dental school in Nevada – provides oral health care to thousands of Nevadans, and schedules nearly 64,000 patient visits. Two of the school’s three clinics are located in the district:

• The 1700 West Charleston Boulevard, Shadow Lane Campus, which serves as the school’s primary teaching and clinical facility, houses 215 dental treatment chairs for emergency care, oral medicine/oral pathology, oral surgery, endodontics, screening clinics, advanced pediatrics, advanced orthodontics, and a Faculty Practice.
• The 1707 West Charleston Boulevard clinic, where the general practice residency is located, provides post-graduate general dentistry education, clinical treatment, laboratory and support services, and interfaces with hospital and surgical centers, including the Veterans Administration

The school delivers dental services at roughly one-third to half the cost of most private practices, which saves patients more than $1.6 million annually.

The UNLV School of Dental Medicine also coordinates multiple community clinics dedicated to meeting the oral healthcare needs of under-served populations in Nevada including:

• Named for the brother of alumnus John Ferrin, the Clint Ferrin Dental Clinic serves the dental needs of local veterans. The clinic takes place eight to nine times per year and has provided no-cost treatments to more than 1,500 veterans since 2007.
• The Women’s Clinic provides free dental care each year to domestic and family violence victims within the Las Vegas area, serving approximately 75 patients annually.
• The Saturday Children’s Clinic treats underserved children ages 5 to 12 who are referred from community services and schools to attend the annual “Give Kids a Smile,” event and have no other access to dental services. The clinics are held nine times each year and have provided more than $180,000 worth of no-cost dental care annually.
• The Huntridge Homeless & Teen Clinic provides medical and dental care to uninsured and at-risk adolescents as well as homeless adults who are unable to obtain state services. The school’s faculty and students have provided dental treatment to more than 1,000 at-risk youth and approximately 200 homeless adults since 2012.

For additional information, visit unlv.edu/dental, or call 702-774-2400.

Photo: Courtesy of UNLV School of Dental Medicine