The University of Utah School of Dentistry is creating an admissions program to increase the number of dentists in rural communities.
The Public & Rural Expansive Conditional Acceptance Program recruits and trains students from high-need rural, tribal and underserved areas throughout Utah, according to a Dec. 13 news release from the university.
Up to three students are selected for the program each year and are offered conditional acceptance into the next year's class upon completion of the PRE-CAP curriculum, which is designed to prepare students for transition into full-time dental education and careers.
The goal of the program is that the students recruited from high-need communities return to practice in those areas after graduating.
In Utah, 18 of 29 counties are designated as shortage areas, and there are 35 high-need clinics in need of dentists, the release said.