Gift of $25,000 From Gerald Benjamin Endows UB's New Esthetic Dentistry Education Center

By Lois Baker

Release Date: October 28, 1998 This content is archived.

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BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Gerald C. Benjamin, D.D.S., a specialist in esthetic dentistry with offices in Troy has donated $25,000 to the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine to help support its new Esthetic Dentistry Education Center.

The center is the first of its kind in the nation to be devoted to training dentists in the high-demand field of esthetic dentistry from the first year of dental school through post-graduate training. Benjamin was the impetus behind the establishment of the new center through his gift and his personal advocacy for professional standards in esthetic dentistry.

His gift will be used to advance the new center and help provide the most current educational opportunities for dental students and practitioners.

Benjamin received a plaque in recognition of his contribution to the dental school during the Aug. 19 grand opening of the 17-chair facility. The plaque will hang in the new center.

"It is the responsibility and obligation of the university to provide students and current practitioners with the knowledge, skill and ethical standards to care for the health of other human beings," said Benjamin, who has completed 800 hours of advanced esthetic dental education and maintains an esthetically oriented dental practice.

Esthetic, or cosmetic dentistry, is the fastest-growing area within dental medicine. The percentage of U.S. dentists performing these services has increased from 40-90 percent in the past five years. The procedures are primarily elective.

Fred McIntyre, UB associate professor of restorative dentistry and director of the center, said of esthetic dentistry: "It may be important to an individual to get a job, to increase self-esteem or to improve the quality of life for an individual. Some patients have been afraid to smile their entire lives."

For more information about the center, contact McIntyre at (716) 829-2836.

For information on how you can help support the University at Buffalo, go to http://www.buffalo.edu/giving