The new Eastman School of Dentistry is set to open its doors in January 2027 and will be the first new school to be added to the University since the Warner School of Education in 1958.
This new designation will officially separate the School of Dentistry from the School of Medicine. Former director of the current dental institute and Vice Dean for Oral Health Eli Eliav will serve as the Dental School’s very first dean. Before the Dental school was proposed, the Eastman Institute for Oral Health acted as a post-graduate school for dentists who planned on specializing or furthering their education. With the implementation of the Dental School, a program is offered to educate future dentists. The new School of Dentistry is set to become the seventh dentistry school in the state. Come January, “Pending approval by the Commission on Dental Accreditation and New York State, ESD will offer a Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) program, which will complement EIOH’s 10 postgraduate education programs in dental specialties”(Black).
The ties between dentistry and URochester go back to 1917, when George Eastman funded the Eastman Dental Dispensary, with the goal of providing dental care to residents while also offering an educational experience for the next generation of dentists. Later renamed to Eastman Dental Center, it merged with the University of Rochester in 1997. In 2008, the Eastman Institute for Oral Health was integrated into the Medical Center, for education and research on oral health.
The opening of this new school has been described as perfect timing, allowing students to participate in a branch of medicine that has grown in patient demand.
