Under the tutelage of Dr. Kimel Fisher, a retired private dentist who now works with the state program, students do everything from teeth cleanings and exams to assisting with extractions and root canals. Like Lopez, Fisher said he has seen each student's confidence grow exponentially just in the past month.

In addition to building the teens' skills and making them more marketable once they graduate, officials hope the program instills in the students an understanding of the importance for good dental care and the problems that many people have getting it.

"(Services) are hard to come by, and we're trying to open that door," Fisher said.

State funding for dental services for adult Medicaid recipients has been a hot topic on Capitol Hill for the past several years. Lawmakers in 2006 declined to fund the so-called "optional" program, causing the governor to solicit $2 million in private donations for emergency dental services for the most vulnerable Utahns.

This year, the Legislature appropriated $2 million in state monies to the program.

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E-mail: awelling@desnews.com