New York University College of Dentistry

The New York University College of Dentistry is one of 14 schools and divisions at New York University. The current dean is Dr. Charles N. Bertolami, D.D.S., D.Med. Sc. He was previously the dean of the University of California, San Francisco, School of Dentistry for 12 years.

History
The College of Dentistry was founded in 1865 as the "New York College of Dentistry." It merged with NYU in 1925. NYUCD is the third oldest and the largest dental school in the United States. In 1957 the College moved into its present home on First Avenue, which in 1965 was named the K. B. Weissman Clinical Science Building. In 1978 the Arnold and Marie Schwartz Hall of Dental Sciences was completed. In 1987 New York University dedicated the David B. Kriser Dental Center. In 2001 two preclinical simulation labs opened. The two 13,000 square feet laboratories provide cutting-edge technology to teach preclinical sciences. In 2002, the Leonard I. Bluestone Center for Clinical Research opened - the only dental school-based research center that provides beds for 24-hour patient monitoring.

In 2002 the Larry Rosenthal Institute for Aesthetic Dentistry was completed, a research center for cosmetic dentistry. The Rosenthal Institute also houses the College of Dentistry Continuing Education Programs. Recently the Rosenthal Institute has been embarrassed by revelations that Larry Rosenthal has been sued four times for malpractice, that he has had his dental license suspended after admitting to illegally purchasing and distributing large quantities of cocaine and other drugs, and lied about his record under oath.

In fall of 2005, NYU's Division of Nursing moved from the Steinhardt School of Education to form the College of Nursing within the College of Dentistry.

Facilities
The College of Dentistry is located on First Avenue between East 24th and 25th Streets, next to the NYU School of Medicine. The College, comprising the Schwartz Hall of Dental Sciences and the K. B. Weissman Clinical Science Building, houses all of the patient clinics, research and teaching facilities, educational programs, and administrative offices. Both facilities house a total of 506 operatories. The operatories are designed in 16-unit modules, each containing a waiting room, offices, X-ray facilities, and a seminar room for instruction and consultation. These facilities enable the College to provide high-quality oral health care for thousands of New Yorkers daily. In addition, the Central Dental Laboratory, the Katharine S. Milbank Special Care Clinic, the Dr. Maurice J. Saklad Auditorium and the John and Bertha E. Waldmann Memorial Library are located on NYU's dental campus.

Library
The College of Dentistry maintains one of the largest dental libraries in the United States. The original library was founded in 1909 and renamed the Waldmann Memorial Library in 1978. The NYUCD library contains over 36,000 bound volumes, 440 professional journals, a large collection of audiovisual and CD-ROM materials, student and classroom materials, 18 public access computer workstations and one of the largest dental rare book collections in the United States. Currently, NYUCD administration is in negotiation with the Manhattan Veterans Administration Hospital to rent space for a new, state-of-the-art dental library.

E-Curriculum
Since 2001, NYUCD has adopted a new educational approach by replacing traditional textbooks with digitalized media, called VitalBook. All required materials are available to students through a computer-enhanced curriculum. The new technology gives each student a license for all of the textbooks in the curriculum in the form of a DVD. In addition to traditional textbook content, students are able to view slide presentations and video streams of lab and clinical procedures and do full text searches on their materials.