The primary function of UNLV School of Dental Medicine (SDM) is to provide world class oral health education while providing for the dental needs of Nevada residents. In doing this, UNLV SDM will be a driving educational force toward improving the health of the citizens of Nevada through innovative programs of oral healthcare services to the community, integrated biomedical and clinical curricula, and research. To accomplish this, it requires SDM to have an established clear, valid, and measurable set of student standards/competencies for learning. These are then used to formulate measurable objectives that are set into a workable framework for SDM Faculty.

The UNLV SDM education program is a four year academic program consisting of eleven (11) full semesters, and approximately 5,000 contact hours. The UNLV School of Dental Medicine, founded in 2002, established a curriculum that was designed to permit seamless vertical and horizontal integration of the three disciplines of biomedical, behavioral, and clinical sciences. The original intent of the UNLV-SDM’s mission was to offer foundation subject matter concurrently with clinical instruction; to this end, clinical presentations and discussions are included in biomedical courses (and vice versa). Behavioral science topics are offered in the context of the clinical setting. The requirement for foundational knowledge in achieving clinical competency is recognized as the cornerstone of the curriculum.

Learning Outcomes

The UNLV School of Dental Medicine (SDM) education program is a four year academic program consisting of eleven (11) full semesters, and 5,000 contact hours.

First year: 42 weeks, 1404 contact hours
Second year: 46 weeks, 1303 contact hours
Third year: 46 weeks, 1477 contact hours
Fourth year: 28 weeks, 826 contact hours (estimated)

The academic year is divided into trimesters, each of which includes approximately 14 weeks of instruction. The curriculum hours are comparable to the national data published by the American Dental Association.