New Dental Speciality Center Offers Collaborative Care, Convenience

Rutgers School of Dental Medicine this week celebrated the grand opening of its dental specialty center, which integrates state-of-the-art patient care in one clinic.

Dean Cecile A. Feldman cuts the ribbon to open RSDM's dental specialty center.

At the newly built center – completed with $10 million in state funding – post-graduate students will work with faculty members in five specialties and have access to the latest equipment and technology.

“Collaboration among departments and disciplines is essential to treat and solve the complexities of oral diseases,’’ said Dean Cecile A. Feldman. “The center will have a far-reaching effect on the school’s capacity for innovation.’’

State Senator Thomas Kean Jr., who attended the opening, called it "an extraordinary achievement.''

He added, "It's humbling to be a part of this.''

The center, which has a total cost of $13 million, including $3 million in funds to match the state grant, features leading-edge treatment based on collaborative, practice-based research. According to Dean Feldman, the center bolsters RSDM's standing as a front-runner in dental education.

“Facilities like this are critical in competing nationally for high-quality students, recruiting talented faculty and attracting patients who need care and who augment the educational experience of our students,’’ Dean Feldman said.

The center’s design – with many specialties housed together – will foster a team approach to treatment, she said. It will also be more convenient for patients.

Located on the school’s Newark campus, the 24,000-square-foot center includes 80 new dental operatories and seven surgical suites for teaching advanced implantology, periodontal surgery, endodontic surgery, maxillofacial prosthetic and advanced restorative dentistry.

Other features at the center include new digital radiography, electronic health records system, and cutting-edge classroom technology.

Several donors who helped make it possible attended the grand opening, including alumni Dr. Linda Stone and her daughter, Vanna, who works with her mother at Gentle Caring Dentistry in Livingston and graduated from RSDM in 2014. Faculty member Dr. Howard Drew and his wife, Ina, both donors, and the  family of Dr. Robert Binder, also a faculty member, were there.

Dr. Binder's daughter, Rebecca Binder and her husband, Chuck Cohen, managing director of Benco Dental,  supported the project on behalf of the Binders and the Benco Family Foundation.

"My dad has given his career to the dental school and we wanted to honor him and the program he's invested so much of his life in building," said Rebecca Binder, executive director of the Benco Family Foundation "From the foundation side, we want to support dental education and this clinic is an important part of that.''