NY's first new dental school in 50 years opens in Hawthorne

MOUNT PLEASANT - Naturally, there were big, bright smiles.

Touro College of Dental Medicine at New York Medical College, New York's first new dental school in nearly 50 years, hosted an official opening at its campus in Hawthorne on Wednesday afternoon.

Classes began in July with an inaugural class of 111 students, many of whom come from out-of-state. Some students said they chose to attend Touro because they have the opportunity to start a legacy for future students.

“I really liked the idea of this inaugural class, being a new school and having a chance to forge your own path," said Adam Gadbois, 19, who graduated from the University of Missouri at just 18 years old and now resides in Yonkers.

Another draw for students is getting to work in the simulation lab, or "sim lab," which opened this week. The sim lab is a classroom which teaches through a complex, three-dimensional computer network to perform dental procedures on mannequins.

“We created this system by putting together technology from several different companies, hosting it locally, and building a system that we think is state-of-the-art and probably is the most advanced simulation lab in the country,” said Dr. Alan Kadish, President of the Touro College and University System.

Nearly all of the dental school's classes will be held at New York Medical College's Skyline Drive building, a converted IBM office transformed into a pristine medical and dental teaching space. With the help of $3.57 million in state funding, the 100,000 square feet of space includes multiple practice clinics, two 120-seat auditoriums, a library, an exercise facility, a student lounge and a cafeteria.

“It’s really helpful being in one building because sometimes classes don’t end on time or some professors would like you to be there a little earlier," said Jessica Li, 23, of Briarcliff. “We have our own space. The sim lab is brand new, all of the equipment is top notch. I think that’s one of the greatest benefits of coming to a new school.”

Once students reach year three of the four-year program, they will start working with human patients. The student clinic will operate at a reduced rate compared to a private dentist and will be open to the community, with an emphasis on those who lack dental care, Kadish said.

“We’ll have a wide variety of patients," he said. "Anyone can come, but we’re going to focus on making sure that we take care of a gap in dental health care, which is in the underserved."

Touro College of Dental Medicine joins just four other universities — New York University, Columbia, SUNY Buffalo and Stony Brook — as the only dental schools in the state, and is the 66th collegiate program in the country. The school's opening comes on the heels of a U.S. Department of Health & Human Services report that New York state is projected to have a shortage of dentists by 2025.

“Oral healthcare is critical to good health, but we must have highly skilled dentists to deliver that care and colleges to provide their training,” said Dr. Howard Zucker, Commissioner of Health for New York State. “The opening of the Touro College of Dental Medicine gives future dentists another opportunity to train in New York and residents of the lower Hudson Valley a pipeline to dental care."

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