Rebels Give 2021

UNLV School of Dental Medicine, the only accredited dental school in Nevada, opened its doors during fall 2002 offering a doctor of dental medicine degree to an initial cohort of 75 students. Each year, the school receives more than 1,800 applications for only 80 positions in the predoctoral program, educates more than 320 predoctoral students and 52 dental residents, and completes approximately 70,000 patient visits.

Faculty and staff have been actively engaged in federally- and privately-funded research totally more than $11 million and external funding since 2005. The school has provided more than $5.1 million in free care to more than 20,000 Nevadans between 2011 and 2019 through funded community outreach initiatives, and more than $3.5 million in free care through philanthropic support at onsite clinics.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the school’s emergency areas remained open. Between March 23 and June 30, 2020, faculty, staff, students, and residents in the Emergency Room and Oral Surgery, Orthodontics, and Pediatric Dentistry areas screened more than 2,200 patients with emergent, urgent, and other oral health care needs, and treated more than 1,400.

During this year’s Rebels Give event, the school is focused on raising funds that support direct patient care, especially for those facing financial hardships. Your philanthropic contributions to the programs listed below ensure the neediest in our community receive the oral health care they need, which also supports invaluable educational experiences of our students. 

Philanthropic gifts offset materials costs and enable the school to treat more patients.

• UNLV Dental Medicine Gap-in-care -- Our patients who have entities such as Medicaid support and private insurance often need out-of-pocket monies to fully pay for their oral health treatments. The school’s Gap-in-Care fund can be used to cover costs not covered by third-party payors. The Gap-in-Care fund also helps reduce the burden for our patients who may be experiencing personal and financial challenges, but are critical to the clinical education model for our dental students.
• Children's Clinic -- Initially started for underserved children who benefited from the annual Give Kids a Smile event, the student-run Children’s Clinic provides care to children 5 to 12 years old. 
• Saturday Morning Women's Clinic -- The Women’s Clinic delivers free dental care to victims of domestic violence. Patients for this clinic are temporary residents at the Shade Tree Women’s Shelter, or other shelters in Las Vegas.
• Saturday Smile Dental Clinic (Homeless) -- Saturday Morning Smiles Clinic delivers dental care to at-risk adolescents and homeless adults who are unable to obtain state services. 
• SGT. Clint Ferrin Memorial Clinic (Veterans) -- Started in 2007 by alumnus Dr. John Ferrin in memory of his brother, the Sgt. Clint Ferrin Memorial Clinic serves the oral health needs of underinsured or uninsured veterans.