Discussions are under way to open five new dental schools in the U.S., according to the ADA News.
Some of the key motivating factors behind opening the schools are maldistribution of dentists, projected workforce shortages, a limited capacity for enrollment at current dental schools, and a robust applicant pool, ADA News reported.
The schools are being planned at Midwestern University in Downers Grove, IL; Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in El Paso, TX; the University of Arkansas in Little Rock; the University of New England in Portland, ME; and the University of Southern Nevada in South Jordan, UT.
"The motivating factor in most cases is a desire for these institutions to respond to access problems by adding new dental schools," said Richard Valachovic, D.M.D., executive director of the American Dental Education Association, in the article.
All the schools with programs under development say that providing access needs for underserved patients is their No. 1 objective, he added.
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