Donate to the NYU College of Dentistry

The Smiling Faces Going Places van provides more than 1400 children with 2400 dental care visits, performing over 7,000 procedures throughout the New York City area each year. In addition to the cost of the Van itself, the College contracts with a bus company to provide for the movement of the van to locations, overnight garaging, cleaning, fuel, tolls and comprehensive maintenance of the vehicle.  

• Local Community Outreach >>>

NYU College of Dentistry introduced the first program in the U.S. designed to provide dental services for survivors of torture and to educate 20 dental students annually to deliver care to this special patient population.

Haunted by memories of physical torture, survivors, the majority of whom have suffered dental and facial injuries, have to deal with persistent frightening thoughts and memories of their ordeal on top of routine fears of dentistry. These patients may fear bright lights and the contact necessary for the dentist to provide treatment. As a result, their ability to access dental care is seriously compromised. As we repair their teeth, we restore their self-image and dignity along the way. These patients receive state-of-the-art dental care at no charge.

NYU College of Dentistry visits senior centers for low-income older adults throughout New York City to offer free screenings. Nearly 100% of the seniors require dental care for gum disease, decay or replacement of VERY old dentures, but few have the funds needed for treatment. The College aspires to develop a program that will expand the scope of treatment locations beyond senior centers and homes of low-income in-dwelling seniors to provide both screenings and dental care.

The College is committed to visiting as many Senior Centers as possible to deliver care, either by transporting seniors to the College or with our Van depending. We hope this program will enable the College to see as many as 5000 additional senior citizens for screening and care each year.

Each year, we treat hundreds of children who cannot afford to pay for dental care. The children require examinations and preventive care, and often the restoration of decay ravaged teeth. Many children require orthodontic care but do not qualify for Medicaid. The College will never turn these children away, but we are faced with a substantial financial shortfall. Funding this program will help NYU Dentistry continue caring for economically disadvantaged children. ​

Cosmetic dentistry is generally considered an elective procedure, but throughout New York City there are women who have suffered dento-facial injuries as a result of physical abuse. The NYU College of Dentistry looks to partner with shelters for abused women throughout the city to provide dental restorations that can help return their lives to normal.

Low-income children have some of the highest tooth decay rates in the city. They are unlikely to receive dental care, and in some cases, they do not even have toothbrushes and toothpaste at home. This NYU Dentistry program aims to decrease new decay by as much as 75% and improve a child’s quality of life, reducing pain, distraction and missed school days. We will work with the social work staff of the after school program to obtain parental/guardian permission to provide the required dental care for these children (at no cost to the family/child if necessary).

The College of Dentistry has a number of experts in sports injury prevention and treatment, including team dentists for NCAA Division I and professional sports teams. NYUCD seeks to implement a program providing custom made mouth guards AND an extensive educational program of injury prevention for inner city sports participants in high schools throughout the city.

In its first year, we hope to deliver over 30 injury prevention presentations and 200 mouth guards for student athletes.

The NYU Dentistry/Henry Schein Cares Global Student Outreach Program was created to address public health and access to care issues in dentistry and oral health.

The College's comprehensive global outreach programs offer participants a unique, service-learning experience. These interdisciplinary programs provide faculty, residents and students of dentistry, hygiene, nursing and public health with a well-rounded perspective on access-to-care issues and challenge them to rethink their roles as healthcare providers. Clinical outreach programs provide free dental services to populations facing barriers to oral healthcare including a dearth of dental providers, economic hardship and inadequate health insurance coverage. Students and residents receive hands-on clinical instruction and are exposed to public health issues in dentistry. Post-outreach evaluations have consistently shown a transformational effect on participants, and past participants have noted these experiences as a highlight in their NYU Dentistry student career.

The Molar Fund

The Molar Fund supports and enhances the PG Endo student experience. Funds may be directed to attending out of state review courses, AAE meetings, or fostering collegiality among the students by hosting social or networking events. The fund is administered directly by the Chair and PG Director to allow for the greatest flexibility and responsiveness to student requests and needs. To participate please consider contributing the total amount of one molar endodontic therapy per year. All participation is appreciated and all gifts, no matter the amount, will be recognized with membership in the "Molar Fund."

The Dr. William Stephanak OMFS Residency Education Fund

The Residency Education Fund will enhance resident experiences and training by supporting extracurricular resident education events. These events would include international outreach mission trips for cleft lip and palate surgery and reconstructive surgery, funding for local and regional continuing education courses, and funding for presentations at scientific sessions nationally and internationally. The education fund would also support the program director in obtaining specialty equipment and up to date technology.

Your contribution will support student and faculty curricular and extracurricular activities, promoting the departmental culture of excellence in learning, teaching, research, and patient care. These value-adding opportunities foster a vibrant degree of camaraderie that continue throughout our professional careers.

Under the supervision of the department Chair, funds will directly support:

• Student research
• Faculty and student retreats
• Introduction of new technology
• Curricular enrichment
• Team-building events

Supporting the Advanced Education Program in Pediatric Dentistry helps to fund the postgraduate students' clinical research projects and their travel to present their work. For the 12 PG students enrolled each year, your generous contribution will also support several new program initiatives:

• PG2 Electives: Support a PG student in their elective experiences during their second year. Elective experiences can include additional hands-on training in areas such as special health care patients, research, academics, or public policy and advocacy.
• Craniofacial Clinic: Your support will help continue our clinical sessions — held in our College facilities and overseen by faculty from the Department of Pediatric Dentistry — dedicated to caring for patients with craniofacial differences.

Unrestricted contributions to the Ashman Department of Periodontology and Implant Dentistry Advancement Fund provide the department the greatest flexibility to address areas of need from year to year. These gifts go to work immediately to support or enhance core programs, research projects conducted by our advanced education students, and allow the department to invest in opportunities and projects as they arise.

Prosthodontic Graduate Program Development Fund

The department of Prosthodontics residency program funds will support only activities related to enrichment of students’ academic endeavors, including:

• Postgraduate student research
• Important presentation of scholarship, posters and abstracts
• American Board of Prosthodontics preparation course
• Registration and limited expenses for major national Prosthodontics meetings
• Curriculum enrichment and innovation specific to the graduate program
• Networking opportunities, organized by the department for professional development
• Assistance for financially challenged patients with congenital abnormalities and defects