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Idaho Dental Education Program requests one additional seat; program says most graduates return to Idaho to practice
Summary
Officials for the Idaho Dental Education Program told the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee they are seeking one additional dental student seat (about $54,000 ongoing) as part of a long‑term plan to reach 36 seats; program leaders said IDEP regularly fills available seats and that a majority of graduates return to practice in Idaho.
Legislative staff and Idaho State University’s Idaho Dental Education Program (IDEP) told the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee on Oct. 24 that IDEP requests one additional seat for fiscal 2026 and that the program routinely fills available slots with qualified Idaho applicants.
Kevin Campbell, a budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, summarized IDEP’s request and operation. "For FY 2026, the Idaho Dental Education Program requests $54,000 ongoing from the general fund for 1 additional seat," Campbell said, noting the program is part of Idaho State University’s Division of Health Sciences and that students complete the second year onward under a contractual arrangement with Creighton University School of Dentistry in Omaha, Nebraska.
Doctor Jeff Wybarger, director of IDEP and a graduate of the program, reiterated the program’s purpose and said Idaho is short of dental providers in many rural areas. "We're actually behind," Wybarger told the committee when asked about Idaho’s dentist supply. He described IDEP as a strategy to train Idaho residents at lower cost and encourage them to practice in the state.
Campbell reported IDEP has 3.25 FTPs, has used adjunct retired faculty in recent years to address faculty shortages, and has averaged about 3.2 percent growth in its base budget over five years. He said IDEP typically receives more than 30 qualified applications annually and would expect to fill an additional seat.
Committee members asked about return rates and outcomes. Wybarger told JFAC that historically since about 1982 roughly 65–70 percent of IDEP graduates have returned to practice in Idaho, and that recent cohorts show higher multi‑year return rates; he said the program’s multi‑year tracking indicates roughly 80 percent of recent graduates practice in Idaho after several years. Wybarger also described the effect of student debt on where graduates choose to practice: students who attend out‑of‑state dental schools incur larger debts and are less likely to return to Idaho.
No formal committee action was taken at the hearing; staff and the IDEP director said they would be available to answer additional questions as the budget process continues.
