ISU Dental Sciences Receives $460,460 Grant Expanded Resident Training Program Will Be In Treasure Valley

Boise-The Idaho State University dental sciences department has received a $460,460 grant to expand Idaho’s only dental resident training program to

southwestern Idaho. The expansion will increase educational opportunities for newly graduated dentists and improve access to dental care for underserved and disadvantaged populations.

The state dental residency program now trains four residents per year, all on ISU’s Pocatello campus. ISU provides an accredited one-year program in advanced general dentistry designed to increase participants’ experience and knowledge beyond dental school curriculum primarily using patient-care procedures. The grant will help provide four additional seats in Boise.

Key elements of the expansion include:

• developing a second clinical training site in the Boise area that uses an income-based sliding fee scale similar to the Pocatello site;
• electronically linking the two sites so lectures and seminars can originate from either facility;
• ISU maintaining core administrative duties such as the application process, accreditation, and graduation certificates for both sites;
• collaborating with southwestern Idaho agencies that already deliver health care to underserved constituents.

The second site is scheduled to be fully functioning for the new resident training year beginning July 1.

After three years, the program is designed to be sustained through patient receipts, some state education revenues, and affiliation agreements with state and federal programs, hospitals, and care agencies.