Washington, Florida and Ohio are just a few states that will gain a dental school in the next few years.
Several dental schools have been announced this year to increase the workforce and train professionals to work in underserved communities.
Here are seven upcoming dental schools to know:
1. Boca Raton-based Florida Atlantic University announced its plans to open a dental school by 2025. The College of Dentistry, which will offer a doctorate of dental medicine, will admit 45 students. It will then admit 90 students each year to reach a total enrollment of 350 students. The dental school will also operate under the FAU Health Network.
2. Rootstown-based Northeast Ohio Medical University was approved for a dental school in September, which would be the third in the state. A $10 million donation toward the new school was given by Gary Bitonte, MD, and David Bitonte, DO, in October. The school will be named the Bitonte College of Dentistry in honor of the donation. M. Frank Beck, DDS, was appointed dean of the dental school in December.
3. Batesville, Ark.-based Lyon College will open a dental school in Little Rock, Ark., with inaugural classes expected to begin in 2024 or 2025. It would be the first dental school in the state. The college was approved to offer a doctor of medical dentistry by the Higher Learning Commission Institutional Actions Council in November, allowing it to submit its applications for accreditation to the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation.
4. The University of Pikeville (Ky.) was given $25 million to establish a dental school in May. The new school will increase access to dental services in the Appalachian region. Pamela Sparks-Stein, DMD, was appointed dean in September.
5. Harrogate, Tenn.-based Lincoln Memorial University opened its College of Dental Medicine in Knoxville in September. The state's third dental school will address a shortage of dental professionals in the state.
6. Lake Worth, Fla.-based Palm Beach State College began work this year on its upcoming dental school, which is expected to cost more than $50 million. The 84,000-square-foot school will be located on its Loxahatchee Groves campus and include labs, classrooms and administrative offices. Construction for the school is expected to take up to three years.
7. Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences in Yakima, Wash., plans to accept its first class of students to its upcoming dental school in the fall of 2025. The school will train dentists for rural and underserved communities. Fotinos Panagakos, DMD, PhD, was appointed founding dean of the school in March.