Bulletin of Dental Education Article

University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Dental Medicine (UNLV SDM) opened a new advanced needs clinic in October specifically designed and built to serve one of the state’s most underserved populations: patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as children born with cleft palate and craniofacial anomalies.

Nevada has long lacked adequate dental services for people with complex physical and developmental conditions, according to James Mah, D.M.Sc., M.S., D.D.S., Dean of UNLV SDM. Thousands of patients in southern Nevada rely on wheelchairs or gurneys, he says. If they can’t easily move to the dental chair, they can’t go to a traditional dental clinic. In addition, some patients, such as those with significant sensory disorders, require anesthesia for their routine dental care.

These factors pose fundamental barriers to dental care, Dean Mah said. This new, purpose-built clinic includes an operatory without a traditional dental chair to accommodate wheelchairs and gurneys as well as extra-wide doors and corridors in addition to anesthesia-ready treatment rooms—all designed to better serve these patients.

An Opportunity for Teaching

Many dentists receive limited education on treating patients with developmental disabilities, sensory processing issues, communication challenges, behavioral and emotional regulation difficulties and other complex medical needs.

This lack of training may make them reluctant to accept these patients or render them unable to provide appropriate care.

In addition to expanding treatment options to the community, the clinic will serve an educational purpose. UNLV SDM dental students and residents will gain hands-on experience treating patients with special needs. Once they graduate, they will be familiar with specialized equipment and increase the ranks of compassionate and competent practitioners able to care for disabled patients in the region.

“We’re preparing our students for real-world complexity,” Dean Mah said. “And in the process, we’re transforming the standard of care in Nevada.”

Care for Patients With Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Anomalies

The new dental clinic also revives another vital service: treatment for infants born with cleft palate or other craniofacial anomalies. Before the pandemic, a team at UNLV SDM provided this care, but the effort lost state financial support during COVID-19 and was ultimately shuttered.

That left families scrambling for care out of state, often traveling to Los Angeles, CA.

“We’re talking about some of the most vulnerable infants in the state,” Dean Mah explained. “One in 500, about 57 babies, are born every year in Nevada with these conditions, and the care for each of these children costs over $100,000.”

"Most families simply can’t afford that,” he said, noting that some families reported sleeping in their cars outside hospitals when they had to travel for their child's treatment.

Nevada was one of only two states in the U.S. with no access to a formal cleft palate and craniofacial team. The other is Alaska. Earlier this year, Dean Mah testified before the Nevada Senate Finance Committee to underscore the urgency for funding the specialized care team. This helped restore funding to the cleft palate and craniofacial team at UNLV SDM and gave the school the financial support it needs to care for this vastly underserved population in the state.

If a community is measured by how it cares for its most vulnerable, this clinic is an impactful step in the right direction, reflecting UNLV SDM’s stewardship value and its mission to serve the local community.

Courtesy of University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Dental Medicine

Published on December 10, 2025