Dentist and student dentist providing dental care to a patient.

School of Dental Medicine News

As the only accredited dental school in Nevada, the School of Dental medicine provides world-class oral health education while providing for the dental needs of Nevada residents. With eight academic degree and advanced education certificate programs, students obtain the necessary skills to provide oral healthcare services to the community and make significant impacts to the field.

Current Dental Medicine News

Adrianne Snipes holding a small recycling bin inside a clinical lab
People |

The supervisor for the Clinical Simulation Center prioritizes flexibility for students in the School of Dental Medicine.

woman in dentist coat standing behind seated patient in exam room
People |

Dr. Eileen Huynh helped a patient receive expensive dental treatments — and a path for a needed kidney transplant.

Dr. Ovunc Bardakcioglu (left), associate professor and chief of colorectal surgery, and class of 2025 medical student Jessica Fields during a robotic surgery simulation training.
Business and Community |

The development of a UNLV Academic Health Center will provide high-value quality care for the community, a source of economic diversity for our economy, and cutting-edge research.

closeup of woman holding her dog
Campus News |

Pet Partners of Las Vegas and UNLV Libraries celebrate 10 years of therapy dog visits to campus.

The Las Vegas skyline (Josh Hawkins, UNLV).
Campus News |

A collection of news stories highlighting UNLV’s dedication to community and research.

smiling woman outside holding small stuffed item
People |

The combination of art and science inspired the two-time alumna to pursue dentistry; the unwavering faith of her mentors encouraged her to return as an instructor.

Dental Medicine In The News

UFC

UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, today announced a multi-year partnership with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD), LVMPD Foundation, and Fighting for The Future Foundation to establish a youth mentoring initiative in conjunction with select schools throughout Las Vegas.

KLAS-TV: 8 News Now

The University of Nevada Las Vegas’ School of Dental Medicine is changing lives one smile at a time by providing affordable dental care to the Las Vegas community. Residents who have no insurance and need dental care can get it at the university for a fraction of the price.

Nevada Independent

While the UNLV School of Dental Medicine continues to work with the state on innovative funding approaches to support rural communities, more state-funded grants and scholarships could go a long way.

Parade

You already know candy can cause cavities, but this unsuspecting culprit may surprise you.

Nevada Independent

Patients lined up in parked cars a day before the clinic opened to reserve a spot. Many were there for dental or vision services not covered by insurance.

Pahrump Valley Times

Medical care is imperative to overall health and well-being but for many, it can also be cost-prohibitive. Fortunately for the residents of Pahrump and the surrounding communities, Remote Area Medical has offered access to free health care services each year since 2016 and this year, hundreds took advantage of the opportunity.

Dental Medicine Experts

An expert in general dentistry, oral health, and animal dentistry.
An expert on pediatric dentistry and dental surgery.
An expert on orthodontics and dental growth.
A prolific researcher and expert on immunology and the immunobiology of oral infections. 

Recent Dental Medicine Accomplishments

Dr. Sonal Shah (Dental) received the Community Faculty of the Year award from the UNLV Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine Department of Otolaryngology (ENT) during their residents graduation dinner. The award is for recognition and appreciation of significant contributions in ENT resident education. During her two years working with the department…
Dr. Christina Demopoulos (Dental) received a grant of $140,000 from the Division of Health Care Finance and Policy Medicaid Dental Services Program to expand the Seal Nevada South, school-based sealant outreach program. The award will be divided almost equally between the 2024-2025 school year and the 2025 - 2026 school year. The funding enables…
Victoria Sullivan, Arash Farhadian, Mayce Issa, and Karl Kingsley (all Dental) recently published the study, "Analysis of Pediatric Pulpotomy, Pulpectomy, and Extractions in Primary Teeth Revealed No Significant Association with Subsequent Root Canal Therapy and Extractions in Permanent Teeth: A Retrospective Study," in the MDPI journal Pediatric…
Jessica Immonen (Dental), Ph.D., M.S., received the Clinical Anatomy Senior Faculty Award for her presentation at the annual American Association of Clinical Anatomists (AACA) Conference recently held at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, New York. Her presentation was titled, "Biomechanics of Bruxism Determine the Sites of Severe TMJ…
Philip Punzalan, Tanya Al-Talib, Anthony Fusco, Neamat Hassan (all Dental) recently published their study titled, "Effect of Dietary Components on the Shear Bond Strength of Orthodontics Brackets after Thermal Aging," in the Open Journal of Stomatology.
Jessica Immonen (Dental), Linh Nguyen (Dental) and Jason Ciccotelli (Physical Therapy) published an article titled "Biomechanics of Bruxism Potentially Determine the Sites of Severe TMJ Osteoarthritis" in Biomechanics. They mentored a group of dental students and a dental resident in their work (David Patterson, Samantha Pipkin, Nathan Kent,…