Local Community Outreach

Today, NYU is a global network university that is "in and of the world" with campuses across the globe. At the same time, the University and its schools and divisions continue to strengthen a historic commitment to serving our local community.

A major component of the NYU College of Dentistry mission is extensive community outreach. Faculty from many departments lead NYU dental, dental hygiene and postdoctoral students in a wide range of patient care initiatives, traveling throughout the five boroughs of New York City to provide care to underserved populations.

The College's mobile dental care van, Smiling Faces, Going Places, is a unique program that brings comprehensive dental care to underserved children in New York City at public schools and Head Start facilities.

Outreach throughout NYC

Integrated throughout the educational curriculum are inter-departmental and inter-academic program community outreach initiatives that serve the multicultural population of New York City. Some of the long-standing NYU Dentistry health education and treatment initiatives provided to underserved children in New York City by the NYU Department of Pediatric Dentistry include:

  • Screenings and education to over 1,000 children in public schools and childcare centers
  • Exams and fluoride varnish for 4,000 preschool-aged children at 80 different centers (Head Start)
  • School-based sealant program at four public schools with over 400 sealants placed
  • Parent & staff workshops on children's oral health given at childcare centers and public schools
  • Graham Windham partnership providing comprehensive care to children and adolescents in foster care, with over 1600 patient visits since 2011
  • Participating in over a dozen health fairs and community events, including two Special Olympics events
  • "Playing It Safe" Mouth Guard Program, providing preventive services at community centers and schools.

In addition,  a recently expanded community outreach program with a special emphasis on meeting the dental needs of older New Yorkers brings care to people at community-based facilities, including food pantries, homeless shelters, centers for abused women, foreign missions, senior centers and foster care agencies.

More than 100 community outreaches are conducted each year. Since September 2012, more than 3,000 New Yorkers have been screened for dental disease and 8,500 toothbrushes have been distributed.