The Touro College of Dental Medicine at New York Medical College in Hawthorne has opened Touro Dental Health, a 32,000-square-foot facility where students will be trained and patients from the lower Hudson Valley, Westchester County, and the metropolitan New York City area will receive comprehensive and affordable care beginning in January.
“We are thrilled to be opening the state-of-the-art facility, which will serve as the advanced educational training platform for our students as they immerse themselves in clinical dentistry,” said Alan Kadish, MD, president of the Touro College and University System. “The opening of Touro Dental Health is an important milestone for both the school and the community.”
“Opening an oral healthcare facility of this magnitude and quality will ensure access to care for underserved populations and others in the community who seek quality, low-cost dental care,” said Ronnie Myers, DDS, dean of the Touro College of Dental Medicine.
Each of the 81 dental treatment stations at Touro Dental Health has been uniquely designed to utilize the most advanced dental technologies, including digital impressions, digital treatment planning, 3-D imaging, guided implant surgery, and endodontic microscopy.
“An enormous amount of planning has gone into the design and execution of our new facility. We were able to create an environment that redefines the training of future dental professionals,” said Edward Farkas, DDS, vice dean of the Touro College of Dental Medicine.
“The digital technology used at Touro Dental Health will offer our patients precision, comfort, and efficiency in their treatments. With the help of all those who participated in the process, we are realizing our commitment to the school’s mission to educate outstanding dental professionals who will return to their diverse communities and provide outstanding service with integrity, compassion, and empathy, and we are sincerely grateful,” said Farkas.
Touro Dental Health’s services will include basic dental exams and preventive care for seniors, adults, and children, cosmetic dentistry, advanced dental reconstruction, temporomandibular joint diagnosis and treatment, and implant surgery. Care will be provided by general dentists, oral surgeons, periodontists, and other specialists, with dental students assisting.
“Touro’s experienced and world-class professional faculty will work alongside our dentists in training, ensuring that the highest level of care is being delivered,” said Farkas. “Patients will receive direct benefits from this faculty-student collaboration, as well as significant cost savings.”
The opening of Touro Dental Health is part of the college’s mission to improve oral healthcare delivery in New York, where the population has grown by 4.5 million people since the last dental school opened in the state nearly 50 years ago.
According to a 2015 survey from the ADA Health Policy Institute and Families USA, 26% of New Yorkers aren’t getting the oral health services they need because of “trouble finding a dentist,” which is higher than the national average of 15%. Obstacles to finding care include Medicaid and insurance coverage limitations, a shortage of providers in many communities, and mobility and transportation challenges, especially among seniors.
Related Articles
New Dental School to Open in New York This Fall
Myers Named Dean of Touro College of Dental Medicine
Integrating Dentistry, Lab Work, and Education in One Facility
