Dentistry

Services

In conjunction with the Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine’s pediatric dentistry program and Dental Care Center, we provide comprehensive dental care, including routine dental procedures, complex dental surgery, preventive measures and emergency care. Because oral health is closely connected to preventing complications following many medical interventions, we screen and address dental problems before procedures such as heart surgery, transplant surgery, radiation therapy and cancer therapy are undertaken. We are one of the few hospitals that can provide this service.

Our outreach efforts include screening, education and prevention at local schools and other locations where there is limited access to dental care.

A new Mobile Dental Care Center extends our services to communities in need of oral healthcare. At our Dental Care Center, services are available at reasonable fees, and our annual Give Kids a Smile Day screens dozens of children prior to the first day of school. Our acclaimed Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine is nationally recognized for its innovative teaching and research initiatives, patient care, excellent dental students, specialty training and fellowship programs.
 

State-of-the-Art Technology

At Stony Brook Children’s, we have available state-of-the-art equipment, including digital radiography and Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CT). In addition, the Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine was one of the first schools in the nation to implement an electronic health record which facilitates the coordination of care since all health providers have access to the same information from multiple locations, including offsite.

Specialty Services

The Dental Care Center is staffed by dental students, residents, fellows and faculty that offer reasonably priced services to the community, including:

• Pre-surgical exams and necessary treatment before a child undergoes such procedures as heart surgery, transplant surgery or chemotherapy to lessen the risk of complications.
• Dental treatment and management for children with chronic conditions such as diabetes, which if not properly addressed can result in long-term complications.
• Collaboration on multidisciplinary treatment teams with oral and maxillofacial surgeons, pediatric dentists, orthodontists, plastic surgeons, craniofacial surgeons, social workers and nurse specialists to treat and manage craniofacial anomalies such as cleft palate.
• Dental Care for the Developmentally Disabled Program: A program that provides dental care for persons with special needs. In the past, patients with special needs were often unable to be managed by a community dentist. To ensure that these patients received the appropriate care, the School of Dental Medicine at Stony Brook created a program in 1981 to provide comprehensive oral health care to children with special needs, including the provision of dental services while under sedation or in the operating room, when necessary.
• Individualized counseling for parents and caregivers specific to the oral health needs of their children.
• Emergency dental services through Stony Brook University Hospital and the School of Dental Medicine.
   

Locations

Patient Resources

Our primary mission is to increase access to oral health services for children on Long Island. Using the Mobile Dental Care Center, outreach at schools, Department of Health locations, homeless shelters, Head Start programs and migrant worker locations where preventive, educational and dental services are provided by the pediatric dental care team. These communities rely on the School of Dental Medicine to deliver high-quality patient care in an environment sensitive to the patient’s diverse needs.

Twice a year, events at the School of Dental Medicine provide free dental screenings for area children. “Give Kids a Smile,” in partnership with the American Dental Association, typically occurs in February during National Children’s Dental Health Month and a back to school event in August offers registered children dental education and examinations. 
 

Research and Education

Research

As part of the mission of the academic medical institution, all of the pediatric departments at Stony Brook Children’s participate in the teaching of tomorrow’s professionals, and creating a pipeline of specialty physicians and dentists for the community. In addition, they are engaged in the search for new and better ways of preventing, diagnosing, managing and treating disease, as well as a greater understanding of disease causes and mechanisms.

Education

The Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine is among the elite research-intensive dental schools in the nation. It is fully accredited by the Commission on Dental Education and the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), and is a component school of the Health Sciences at Stony Brook. 

The School of Dental Medicine includes specialty services in orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, periodontology, prosthodontics, endodontics, implant dentistry, oral and maxillofacial surgery, oral and maxillofacial radiology, care for patients with special health care needs, oral pathology, hospital dentistry and dental anesthesiology.

Advances and Recognition

• The Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry has a multidisciplinary approach to oral care. Dr. Kimberly Patterson serves as interim chair of the department; Dr. Hechang Huang is the director of the Advanced Dental Education Program in Orthodontics; and Dr. Patterson directs the Advanced Dental Education Program in Pediatric Dentistry. Combining the specialties has enhanced interaction between faculty and residents, who are playing a major role on the cleft palate/craniofacial team at Stony Brook Medicine. Increased interaction between specialties has also led to the formation of the dentofacial deformities program, which has a team of orthodontists, oral maxillofacial surgeons, prosthodontists, plastic surgery and sleep medicine physicians.
• The Advanced Dental Education Program in Pediatric Dentistry continues its mission of bringing comprehensive care to communities with poor access to oral healthcare. Dental care services are provided via the Mobile Dental Care Center. The program provides continuing education to health professionals and develops initiatives to educate schools on the acute management of dental trauma and the importance of mouth protection in sports.
• The Advanced Dental Education Program in Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics renewed Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) accreditation in 2021, and the Advanced Dental Education Program in Pediatric Dentistry renewed CODA accreditation in 2024.