Dental chief says resignation won’t hurt program for poor

Tuesday, Nov. 9, 1999 | 11:47 a.m.

The acting director of the state's new dental residency program says the resignation of one of the program's three dentists is not endangering the fledgling effort to provide dental care for the poor.

"The program is not in peril," Dr. Scott Clinton said this morning after it was made public that one dental resident, Charles Aldridge, was no longer with the program.

The residency program launched earlier this year is designed to provide dental care for the poor and to provide additional training for dentists who have just graduated from dental school.

The cost of the first two years of the program, $1.3 million, is being paid out of the Estate Tax Fund, the state's share of federal inheritance taxes. The expense is expected to be part of the higher education budget during the next biennium.

Clinton says plans to increase the number of dental residency slots from three to six after the first of the year have not changed.

The program currently is operated by the University of Nevada School of Medicine, but when UNLV opens its new dental school in 2001, the residency program will shift to that institution.

A new director of the residency program begins his job Wednesday.

Dr. George McAlpine replaces the late Dr. George Seng, who died earlier this year of lung cancer.

Regent Steve Sisolak said the apparent controversy at the dental residency program will not affect the proposed dental school.

"I don't see it as a factor that would eliminate the dental school," he said. "It's a small bump. I haven't heard any grumblings. I know there is no shortage of applicants for the residency positions."

Regent Mark Alden expressed graver concern about the situation.

"I'm very concerned," Alden said. "It shows the program lacks in planning.

"I'm worried that this could impair the future of the dental school."

He said he wants the regents to get an update on the program at their next meeting, Dec. 1-2 in Reno.

Alden said one of the reasons Aldridge quit the program in October was that he wasn't seeing as many patients per day as he was promised.

"I hear they only get three or four patients per day," he said.

Alden said the dental residents, who have just graduated from dental school, receive a base salary plus a sum for each patient.

Clinton said residents are seeing closer to six to eight patients a day.