New Mexico to get first dental school: Touro Dental Health NM

There are 100 dental students in Westchester, New York who will be coming to Albuquerque in July to finish their dental degrees at Touro Dental Health New Mexico.

Dr. Ronnie Myers is the dean of Touro College of Dental Medicine, a New York-based school that is building a dental branch campus in New Mexico at 2425 Ridgecrest SE. The campus held a groundbreaking at the site on Wednesday.

“New Mexico is one of only 14 states in the country without a dental school,” Myers said.

In 2021, out of nearly 3,000 dental school applicants at the New York-based Touro College, only 11 were from New Mexico, according to Touro College.

The number of dentists in New Mexico per 100,000 people is 48.4, which is below the national average of 60.84, according to Touro.

Mayor Tim Keller went as far as to say that Albuquerque’s Southeast Heights, which is where the college will be located, is a dental hygiene desert.

“Students, we want you to stay here,” Keller said, joking about New Mexico’s Land of Entrapment nickname.

Myers said it's a fact that "where people train is more than likely where they’ll end up.”

Myers spoke of plans to do outreach programs with local high schools in an attempt to encourage an increase in the number of local dental school applicants.

Touro University has 37 campuses and locations worldwide. The New Mexico school will focus on clinical operation.

Patricia Salkin is the senior vice president of academic affairs at Touro University.

“The mission is access to education and serving the underserved in fulfilling the Judaic values that our university was founded upon,” said Salkin.

Touro College of Dental Medicine is currently building its new campus next to the Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, which is part of Touro University.

The building cost is estimated around $40-$50 million, Myers said.

“Waiting for outside funding sources would have taken two or three years … so we decided we’ll just do it ourselves,” Myers said.

Dr. Alan Kadish is the president of Touro University. He said Touro University could only accommodate 120 students at its New York dental campus.

"Creating a branch of Touro College of Dental Medicine in Albuquerque at Lovelace made perfect sense," said Kadish.

The president and CEO of Lovelace Biomedical is Dr. Robert Rubin. He said the college will be a “quantum leap” in economic development for Albuquerque's International District.

“This marriage of a research institute and a clinical operation will allow us to advance dental and oral health,” Rubin said.

Nichole Rogers is the city councilor for District 6, which includes the International District.

“Access to health care, dental care for southeast (Albuquerque), for this area, it’s critical,” Rogers said.