The UCCSN Board of Regents today approved a new public/private partnership between UNLV and Orthodontic Education, Ltd. (OEC) that will establish a residency program in orthodontics at the UNLV School of Dental Medicine.

The partnership, which was approved for a 30-year term, includes an initial $3.5 million commitment by OEC toward the construction of, and equipment for, a new 50,000 square-foot facility for clinical research and health sciences at UNLV's Shadow Lane Campus. Additional annual revenues to be collected from tuition and clinical fees - projected to be between $480,000 and $720,000 - will fund, among other things, operational support for the program and scholarships for Nevada residents.

"This is an exciting new partnership for UNLV and one that will go a long way toward improving the dental health crisis in our state," said UNLV President Carol C. Harter. "We are looking forward to establishing a first-rate orthodontics program that will serve our students and community well. We are grateful for the Board's support of this new program and to OEC for their willingness to partner with us on this important endeavor."

One of the partnership's major components is a scholarship program that will cover students' full tuition and living expenses, estimated to cost approximately $65,000 per year, per student. In exchange, scholarship recipients will be required to fulfill a seven-year service commitment to OEC following graduation. As part of that agreement, graduates will receive a guaranteed minimum income from OEC of $150,000 per year, profit sharing and stock in the company, and funding for capital and start-up operations of a new practice.

Students who do not wish to participate in the OEC scholarship program will be eligible for financial aid. Approximately $175,000 per year will be designated specifically for Nevada residents.

"This unique scholarship program will not only provide access to advanced dental education for individuals who might not otherwise be able to afford the opportunity," said Dr Patrick Ferrillo, dean of UNLV's School of Dental Medicine, "but it will also offer underserved citizens of Las Vegas greater access to low-cost orthodontic services."

As part of the training program, residents will provide professional services to approximately 900 economically disadvantaged individuals per year. Recent studies have shown that approximately 30 percent of the state's children are in need of affordable orthodontic care.

Further revenues generated by the partnership will help create additional dental education programs, as well as other health science initiatives at UNLV. Future programs could include periodontics, endodontics, oral maxillofacial radiography, prosthodontics, and oral pathology.

Statistics suggest that the growing shortage of orthodontists nationwide is due, in large part, to a declining number of certified graduates and an increasing number of retiring practitioners. In fact, UNLV's new orthodontics program is one of only three such programs to be created in the past 30 years.

UNLV officials expect the first graduates of the program will be ready to serve the public by 2008.

The UNLV and OEC partnership has been given strong support by several national health organizations, including the American Dental Education Association, the Association of Academic Health Centers, and the Institute of Medicine.