Dr. Richard N. Buchanan
University of Buffalo School of Dental Medicine
Dean’s Message
The primary mission of the School of Dental Medicine at the University at Buffalo is to educate oral health care professionals, biomedical scientists and educators; to discover medical and biological knowledge; and to deliver high quality, state-of-the-art oral health care. The School improves the oral and general health of the people of the State of New York through its teaching, research and service.
The School of Dental Medicine maintains its more than century-old tradition of educating general practitioners and dental specialists to provide the highest quality of patient-centered care to the communities they serve. This education is based on a dynamic curriculum employing the latest information technologies and emphasizing the interactions between basic biomedical sciences, clinical sciences and clinical practice. Further, the School of Dental Medicine continues to prepare individuals for leadership roles in the basic and oral health sciences and in dental education.
The School of Dental Medicine is a leader in innovative research and scholarship contributing to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of oral disease. These discoveries are disseminated to both the professional community and the public through contributions to the scientific literature, through oral health promotion and disease prevention programs, and through technology transfer in partnership with industry thereby promoting economic development in Western New York.
The School of Dental Medicine as a primary, secondary, and tertiary care center provides high quality, oral health services in a patient-oriented environment. Through both its intramural clinics and its outreach programs, the School maintains a strong community presence as the region’s major provider of oral health care services to underserved populations and to people with special oral health care needs.
Introduction
Now in its 114th year, the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine educates general practitioners (340 DDS students and 20 general dentistry and general practice residents) and dental specialists (advanced education programs in, endodontics, pediatric dentistry, periodontics, prosthodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, oral and maxillofacial pathology, and orthodontics - 80 students) to deliver high quality, state-of-the-art oral health care.
The School is recognized for excellence and innovation in dental education, most recently, for its Electronic Curriculum Project and software development providing solutions for managing administrative, admissions and academic information in health sciences institutions.
As leaders in innovative research and scholarship, the faculty contribute to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of oral disease. The School trains biomedical scientists and dental educators through its Dental Student Summer Research Program, Minors in Oral Biology, M.S programs. (Oral Sciences, Orthodontics, and Biomaterials), the nation’s oldest PhD program in Oral Biology, and combined research/clinical training programs. Graduates of these programs are in national leadership positions. The School consistently ranks among the top in funding from the NIDCR.
As part of its extensive service learning program, the School is the Western New York region’s major provider of oral health care services to underserved populations and to people with special oral health care needs through patient visits to its dental clinics in Squire Hall and affiliated programs at regional hospitals and the Mobile Dental Van.
Being part of UB, New York’s largest and most comprehensive public university and a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, gives our professional and graduate programs a particular richness and depth. It also offers our faculty an extraordinary opportunity to collaborate in multidisciplinary research, scholarship and creative activity.
Highlights
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. 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.
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.
Our full-time and part-time faculty are active participants in the community dentistry programs and services.
Each pediatric dentistry postdoctoral resident actively participates in the department’s community dentistry program.
Fourth year dental students are given the opportunity to sign up for a clerkship in one of the dental specialties. 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.
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.
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.
History
In May 1892 the University of Buffalo Dental Department was created as part of the Medical School (founded in 1846). Dr. William Barrett, first Dean, headed the Dental Department’s founding. From 1892 to 1898 the Dental Department occupied a wing of the Medical School’s building in downtown Buffalo. By 1898 the School of Dentistry was an independent entity and had erected its own building.
In 1952 the School of Dentistry moved to the Main Street Campus sharing a health sciences complex with Medicine, Pharmacy and Biology. In the early 1980’s the School’s name was changed to the School of Dental Medicine. In 1986 a separate, state of the art clinical facility, Squire Hall (named after Dr. Daniel Squire, third dean and member of the first graduating class, 1893) opened.
1892—Department of Dentistry (part of School of Medicine) University of Buffalo is the first dental education program in New York State outside New York City. The founding of the Dental Department had to overcome significant opposition from some members of the local dental community in Western New York.
1895—Dr. A.P. Southwick, one of the original faculty members, invents the electric chair.
1904—Dr. George B. Snow became second dean. He was an inventor with several dental instrument patents, including the “Snow Bow” facebow. He quit practice and founded Buffalo Dental Manufacturing Co. prior to becoming dean.
1950—A unique year because there was no graduating dental class. The reason: a switch had been made increasing the length of the DDS program to four years. The class that entered in 1947 was the first to progress through the newest version of a four-year curriculum. The program maintained the four-year program thereafter.
1958—The School of Dentistry becomes the first dental school in the country to be fully equipped with high-speed handpieces in both clinics and laboratories thanks to the efforts of Dr. Richard Powell.
1965—The Department of Oral Biology was created though the efforts of Dr. James English, seventh dean and Dr. S.A. Ellison. The Oral Biology Department blossomed into one of the foremost research departments at SUNY Buffalo. The Oral Biology Department has attained national prominence in dental research through the years and its PhD program was a pioneering achievement. Oral Biology currently houses several research centers.
