New York State Dental Certificate Requirements

Welcome to the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine Community Dentistry website.  We invite you to visit our site frequently to gain a better understanding of how we are ensuring healthy mouths for the children and young adults of Western New York.

Our Mission

Our mission is to educate vulnerable Western New York populations through public awareness, dental programs, and community services/projects and provide accessible quality dental care for the life of their smile.

Community Dentistry at the University at Buffalo

 Over 80% of dental problems are found within only 20% of the population of Western New York.  This population is extremely vulnerable to oral health problems that may plague them their entire life, from childhood to adulthood.

How We Beat The Odds:

Throughout the year, our faculty, residents, dental clerkships, and dental students participate in series of outreach programs that provide preventive dental health care and dental health education to children in core city neighborhoods and rural towns and villages across Western New York. 

We have established and continue to collaborate with Western New York public health and social services departments, Head Start programs, and Erie and Niagara County School Districts.

The Team and What We Do:

Faculty:  Our full-time and part-time faculty are active participants  in the numerous community dentistry products, programs, projects, and services.

Residents:  Our pediatric dentistry postdoctoral residency program has grown from accepting two residents per year to five residents per year.  Each resident actively participates in the department's community dentistry program.

Pediatric Dentist Clerkships:  Fourth year dental students are given the opportunity to sign up for a clerkship in one of the dental specialties.  Pediatric and Community Dentistry has seen an upward trend in clerkships, with the average over the past three years of 15 students.  In addition to hospital dentistry, pediatric dentistry clerks visit summer school, summer camp, and summer athletic programs where they teach proper hygiene instruction to children using interactive games and instructional puppets.

Dental Students:  Every first-year dental student must take a mandatory course entitled, Profession, Practice, and Community, whereby they learn ethics, community program development, and the importance of "giving back" to the communities that they serve (or eventually where they will practice).  Each student designs a dental education program within an already established Western New York social services program.  In addition, students visit area primary schools where they teach proper hygiene instruction to children using games and puppets.  This course is very popular, and is increasingly welcome in the primary schools.

Rural Area Health Education Center:  We partner with the Western New York Rural Area Health Education Center (R-AHEC), through a grant from the Greater Community Foundation of Buffalo to introduce health professions to high school students from underserved and minority backgrounds.  "UB The Dentist" is a one-day hands-on experience where teens learn how to drill and fill a tooth, make an impression, fill out a medical history form, and look through an electron microscope.  Dental faculty from Restorative, Orthodontics, Endodontics, Radiology, Oral Biology, and Pediatric Dentistry are on hand to answer clinical and research related questions.

Contact Information

Telephone

716-829-3717

FAX

716-829-3895

Postal address

UB SDM, 114 Squire Hall, Buffalo, NY, 14214-8006

Electronic mail

General Information: jmdim@buffalo.edu
Webmaster: wvincent@buffalo.edu