New York University College of Dentistry

Founded in 1865 as the New York College of Dentistry, with 31 students and 10 faculty members, the College was originally located in rented quarters at the corner of 22nd Street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. The College officially merged with New York University in 1925, which led to the promotion of research and postdoctoral education. Today NYUCD is recognized as a leading source for dental care in New York City and a leader in research and national policy issues in dentistry.

The goal of the predoctoral D.D.S. curriculum is to educate health care professionals who value health promotion and possess the knowledge and skills to diagnose, manage, and prevent diseases, abnormalities, and other conditions affecting the oral and perioral tissues. The education encompasses a broad understanding of the biomedical sciences, behavioral sciences, and clinical sciences, as well as the social issues related to the general health and well-being of the public. The educational process develops and reinforces the ethical responsibility of the health care professional for the public and develops a keen sense of the role of the dentist as an integral member of the health professions team. Throughout their education, students are stimulated to model values and beliefs that demonstrate the commitment of the profession to the public welfare.

In addition to educating health professionals, NYUCD endeavors to improve the health of the highly diverse populations in New York City and around the world. NYUCD provides more than 275,000 visits annually to the most multiethnic, multicultural patient population in the nation. The College conducts a mobile dental care program, Smiling Faces, Going Places, which travels to medically-underserved areas throughout New York State to provide critically needed dental services; operates the only dental school-based clinical research center in the U.S. that provides beds for 24-hour patient monitoring; is a national center for consumer information, education, and research into the causes and prevention of oral cancer; sponsors free oral health and oral cancer screenings for thousands of New Yorkers annually; conducts additional, media-driven consumer education campaigns under the banner of "Ask Your Dentist"; and offers access to a global network of dental colleges, which greatly expands student and faculty opportunities for international study and service. In addition, NYUCD is part of the NYU Catastrophe Preparedness and Response Center and has become the unquestioned leader among dental schools in catalyzing a national initiative to enable dentists to play a critical role within a coordinated, collaborative response to deal with the threat of terrorism, including bioterrorism and other catastrophes. As a result of these programs, NYUCD is well on its way to becoming the dental institution in the world with the greatest impact on the health of society.