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Idaho Dental Education Program asks for one additional seat to boost dentist supply in underserved areas
Summary
The Idaho Dental Education Program requested $54,000 ongoing to fund one additional dental seat, part of a longer-term effort to expand Idaho-trained dentists and improve return-to-state rates; program leaders said graduates generally return at high rates over time.
The Idaho Dental Education Program (IDEP) asked the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Thursday for $54,000 in ongoing general fund support to add one additional student seat, part of a longer plan to reach 36 total seats for Idaho residents.
Kevin Campbell, a budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, briefed the committee on IDEP's structure and partnership with Creighton University School of Dentistry. IDEP students take their first year of dental training at Idaho State University and complete clinical training at Creighton in Omaha as part of a contractual arrangement; seats are reserved for Idaho residents.
Dr. Jeff Weibargin, director of IDEP and an alumnus of the program, told the committee Idaho faces dentist shortages in many rural areas and that IDEP graduates have a strong record of returning to practice in Idaho. "Historically since about 1982 somewhere between 65 and 70 percent of our graduates have returned to Idaho to practice," Weibargin said; he added that over the last five years the effective return rate is higher when graduates who return after initial training are included.
Weibargin said IDEP has stable enrollment demand and can fill additional seats: applicants typically have high academic profiles (about a 3.8 GPA and DAT scores in the 80th percentile or above), he told the committee. He also said students who attend dental school without IDEP's support often graduate with higher debt burdens and are less likely to return to Idaho practice.
LSO analyst Kevin Campbell said IDEP has 3.25 full-time-equivalent positions, has averaged modest base growth in recent years, and that the program requested $54,000 ongoing for an additional seat in FY2026. The program argued the seat would be readily filled and is part of a multiyear plan to increase seats to 36.
Committee members asked about return-on-investment and placement. Dr. Weibargin said return rates improve over time as graduates complete residencies or specialty training; he cited recent cohorts where most graduates returned to Idaho within a few years.
The committee did not take a vote during the presentation and asked for follow-up documentation on placement and long-term return rates.
IDEP officials said the program provides a cost-effective mechanism to increase the number of dentists practicing in Idaho communities that lack local dental providers and asked the legislature to consider incremental expansion.
