NYU College of Dentistry: Global Outreach Clinic at The Center for Discovery

The NYU Dentistry Global Outreach team recently completed a fifth dental outreach at The Center for Discovery, a nonprofit organization in Harris, NY, focused on transforming care, community, and health span for individuals with complex conditions. A team of NYU faculty, students, and staff worked side by side with the Center’s interdisciplinary staff to deliver compassionate, accessible dental care for individuals with disabilities and neurodevelopmental differences, a population historically underserved by traditional oral health systems. Read more.

Eastman Institute For Oral Health, University of Rochester: Community Water Fluoridation Works – Debunking Myths, Highlighting Lifelong Benefits

Experts from the University of Rochester’s Eastman Institute for Oral Health underscore the safety, effectiveness, and enduring public health benefits of community water fluoridation in a commentary published in JADA, The Journal of American Dental Association.

The paper, Defending Community Water Fluoridation: A Public Health Imperative Grounded in Evidence, reviews the data. While some observational studies conducted outside the U.S. have raised concerns about potential neurocognitive effects of fluoride, high-quality evidence consistently shows that water fluoridation at recommended levels (0.7 ppm) poses no risk to children’s neurodevelopment. Read more.

Student & Alumni News

Touro College of Dental Medicine Goes to the Dominican Republic on a Touro Volunteer Mission Trip, October 2025

Eight fourth year TCDM students, accompanied by two TCDM faculty, went on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic. The trip was organized by Alan Rosenthal, DMD, Assistant Dean, TCDM Global Health and Community Outreach and Steven Cho, DDS, TCDM Clinical Associate Professor of Dental Medicine, under the auspices of the dental volunteer organization, World of SMILES. The team included prosthodontists, endodontists, oral surgeons and general dentists. Students rotated which faculty member they worked with for each morning or afternoon session, so by the end of day four, each student had worked with each faculty member and in all the different practice areas.

University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine Alumni Profile: Building a Legacy Through Love and Leadership

Assigned seats alphabetically in the preclinical lab, first-year student Bob Lalor, DDS ’00, sat directly behind his future wife, Mary John, DDS ’00. They started dating the next year. They were a couple by their fourth year, but decided not to apply for a “couples” residency match in order to preserve their educational independence. Separately, they both matched at Nassau Memorial Hospital on Long Island. Read more.

Research

Eastman Institute For Oral Health, University of Rochester: Unraveling the Web of Chronic Pain

One in five. That is how many adults suffer from chronic pain in the United States. It affects more people than heart disease, diabetes, and cancer combined. That is more than 50 million people who may not be able to work or participate in everyday activities. But despite its enormous human toll, it is a condition that is still measured subjectively. The gold standard is to rate one’s pain on a scale from 0 to 10 based on how minor to extreme or intense the pain is in the moment and often in the past 24 hours. Read more.

NYU College of Dentistry: Microbiome and Nanoparticle Discoveries Hold Promise for Treating Gut Pain

Abdominal pain is a hallmark of many digestive disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome. In an effort to develop targeted treatments for gut pain, NYU researchers and their collaborators have discovered a new enzyme in gut bacteria and are using nanoparticles to deliver drugs inside cells.

Currently, there are no treatments specifically for gut pain, and existing painkillers are often insufficient at managing symptoms. These drugs — including opioids, NSAIDs, and steroids — also come with side effects, some of which directly harm the digestive system. In two new studies, researchers focused on PAR2, a receptor involved in pain signaling that has been shown to play a role in gastrointestinal diseases marked by inflammation and pain. “In focusing on this receptor, we’ve mapped out a pathway between a bacterial enzyme and pain and determined how to block PAR2 using nanoparticles—both of which may help us to treat pain related to digestive disorders in the future,” said Nigel Bunnett, professor and chair of the Department of Molecular Pathobiology at NYU Dentistry and a faculty member in the NYU Pain Research Center. Read more.

Faculty News

Columbia University College of Dental Medicine: Dennis A. Mitchell, DDS, MPH, is Named Dean of CDM

Dennis A. Mitchell, DDS, MPH, professor of Dental Medicine, has been appointed dean of the College of Dental Medicine. Claire Shipman, acting president of Columbia University, and Katrina Armstrong, chief executive officer of the Columbia University Irving Medical Center and dean of the faculties of Health Sciences, made the announcement. Read more.

University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine: Faculty Member Wins Top Two 2025 William J. Gies Editorial Awards

As a dentist and attorney, Chester J. Gary, DDS, JD, knows the benefits and pitfalls of artificial intelligence. “Despite its advances to the dental profession, AI cannot think, feel or have a soul,” Gary says, adding that any advice that AI provides to a dentist won’t hold up in court if something goes wrong. Read more.

More News

NYU College of Dentistry PROHmotion Blog: “Why Are So Many Dentists Still Prescribing Opioids?”

The latest NYU Dentistry PROHmotion blog post addresses the need for changing the standard of care for pharmacologic management of acute dental pain, while exploring the behavior changes needed in the practice environment to avoid the routine prescribing of opioids, particularly to adolescents and young adults. Read more.