Touro College of Dental Medicine Anniversary Gala and TouroCAREs Featured on JM in the AM

JM in the AM. It's our visit to the campus of the Turo College of Dental Medicine and the dean of the Turo College of Dental Medicine is Dr. Ronnie Meyers and he is with us here on our broadcast. A pleasure to welcome you to JM in the AM. >> Well, thank you for having me. >> A pleasure to be here. Uh, and what a campus. I mean, this is, you know, it's funny. I'm involved in the community for god knows how many decades at this point and you think you know everything and but it it takes the opportunity like this to visit a facility to see what's really happening and this is absolutely beautiful in a beautiful area of New York and the technology that you've established in this building is remarkable. It must be incredible to be at the helm of this operation. >> Well, I can honestly say it's been a a miraculous journey. Um we're now uh literally in our 10th year of operation. >> We've uh graduated uh six classes, soon to be seven. Um and I would say the birth of this institution has been quite remarkable and the people who work here make it run every day. Um and having been in dental education for a very long period of time, uh seeing what can be accomplished in such a short period of time is really heartwarming and heartfelt. How does one keep up with the academics and the technology in this industry? Because it does seem like in this especially after visiting the simulation lab and the clinic, it seems like the technology in this industry is just expanding constantly. >> Yes. So I I think that's a good point. Um certainly if you look at the spectrum of dentistry let's say over the last 50 years what has happened in the last 10 years has been remarkable. Um and the idea of bringing that to our students in a way that they have to learn the basics obviously they have to learn the foundation and where we've been but where we're going is um is quite remarkable and we have the tools to do it >> right and you require multiple tools in so many different categories. I mean from the printers that are making crowns uh to the computers that do other specialty work and I'm sure there's a million things that are happening that I'm not even aware of obviously I don't know much about dentistry but every one of them needs one of these specific technologies and you need it to be provided on a multiple basis because you got so many students here. >> Yeah. And you know it's interesting because you don't know where the students going to go when they leave here >> right >> so they have to have a whole set of skills. You know, if you went back, as I said, 50 years ago, the skills were pretty well maintained and you knew that when a person left, whatever practice they would go into would probably have the same set of skills that we have given them. In today's world, because the technology is expensive and where they're going to go to practice may have different technologies available to them. So they have to be nimble enough when they leave here to not only know the foundations and how they can do things one way, but they have to know what else they've learned so that they can continue to grow. >> Speaking with Dean Meyers, Turo Dental here on the campus. >> Um, is it is there a shortage of academics in this area? Can one hire a faculty in a dental school in the New York area and be confident that there's a good pool of people to choose from? >> A a great point. Um, you know, one never likes to think of ourselves as dinosaurs, but but the reality of it is that great many of the people who come to teach didn't grow up with this technology and so therefore they have to learn it alongside the students. Um but there are cadre of individuals who are in the younger category who have let's say graduated in the last 10 years or so or 15 years who have obviously moved with the technology. So we have students learning alongside our faculty from younger faculty that have um certainly taken this and moved forward. And on the first part of your point, it's not every industry that takes people that are at the tail end of their careers and are able to incorporate them into a modern program. And it seems like it works here. >> It Oh, it definitely works. And I think that our spectrum of faculty uh really runs the gamut from those we have we have faculty actually that graduated in our first class that have now come back to teach which is really heartwarming because we we need dental faculty obviously and we have faculty that as you said are the end of their career or their end of their practice career I should say that they've left and now want to give back and we can meld that the clinical experience that they've had over 30 and 35 years is far more important, let's say, than the little techniques that they may have learned, but how they interact with patients and how they've learned to hone their skills with these patients versus those that are at the beginning of their career. >> They don't have that clinical experience to fall back on, but they do have the motivation to become better and they're technologically better and more adept at learning those new things. For the college students listening and for the parents of college students listening, what makes a good dental student? >> What makes a good dental student? Well, >> someone's a senior in college, they need to have what or think in what way in order to pursue this track? >> I think one thing they to be any healthare worker. So, let's put it on that category first. Good point. To be any healthare worker, one has to have compassion and they have to have empathy and they have to be of sound moral character that is in it for the betterment of the patient. So that's one. Two, I think that they have to have the open mind and the critical mind to be able to be analytical. You know students who come to dental school everybody worries about their clinical skills you know their dexterity. I would say the number of individuals who come to dental school that do not make it through dental school because of their dexterity is extraordinarily small. People who enter dental school obviously they enter academically they're qualified. Um we hope that they're personally qualified that we've done good vetting in that regard. Um but the clinical skills they will they will get they will master those. They will master those. So >> the bedside manner they're going to have to work on. It's interesting on that on that point. Isn't it funny that the majority, if not all of the training that they are getting, hands-on training they're getting in this building, are essentially, I don't know if you'll agree with this, but essentially with the underprivileged, with the financially challenged, with people who turn to your clinic to be a lifesaver. Well, and and we hope we hope although hope is not a great strategy, we we hope that what they are learning in our clinical environment, yes, the technical skills, but they are learning um healthc care disparities, inequities, um individuals that don't have the wherewithal to go someplace else that they learn that compassion, empathy, and moral compass that's going to provide the best possible care for these individuals and and again uh we can teach everybody to do the technical clinical technologically advanced skills >> right >> the other things come with time and it is a big important aspect to bring the human culture to that aspect of our our education >> you know we talk about in the in the any independent or even involved observer of the Jewish community knows that dentistry is a very popular profession I wonder if it's like that in general. Obviously, Turo, you're dealing with a diverse student population, right? It's not just our community, so many communities. And I'm wondering in general in New York and New Jersey, if it is a densely populated industry, it is is it not nearly as bad, maybe the wrong choice of words, as what I'm used to seeing in our own insulated community. >> So, I'm not I'm not sure where you go with that. Um, are there too many dentists out there in this area? So uh >> or too many people pursuing dentistry I should say. >> So you know let's think of it a little bit more broadly right >> um a more global question would be are we producing too many dentists. Now it is true in the educational dental world there are new dental schools opening. Uh the number of first year metriculated students has gone from about 6200 or 6,300 to almost 700 first year 7,000 I'm sorry 6200 to 7,000 first year students. So >> that's what nationwide. >> It's growing nationwide. >> Well that's quite a number. >> Well let's put this in perspective >> right compared to the population. >> Exactly. So in 1975 there were about 15,000 applicants to dental school. 1975 the number of firstear students across the country at that time were about 6,000. The population in the United States was 210 million. So we were entering 6,000 dentists in the queue to become dentists for 210 million people. >> Right? >> Let's fast forward now to 51 years later. We are entering only 7,000 that's only a thousand more dentists into the queue and the population is 340 million. So the question would be are we producing enough dentist. So the answer to that question is twofold. One is we are producing enough dentists but they're all going to the wrong place. So if you want to look at the Westchester Manhattan area, you'd say there are plenty of dentists and the ratio of dentists to population is fine. If you go to Green County in upstate New York or you go to any one of 32 counties of the 33 hero, >> you could be Exactly. It becomes a dental desert desert. And it's one of the reasons that we went to New Mexico, right? >> Is to try and make it so that maybe Dennis will go where we need Dennis to be. >> And not that you're the dean out there, but the reality is that that that has not only been I have to assume for New Mexico, but it's really helped the entire western region, I would guess, by attracting students from all over. Am I right or wrong about that? >> Well, I I would say that um >> is it is it really new Mexico centric? Like really? We we've we have a facility now, our clinical facility in Albuquerque. So we increased our enrollment here from 110 students in a class to now 210 students a class. First two years everybody's here and then in the third and fourth year 100 go to Albuquerque and 110 stay here. >> Wow. >> Now why you'd say well why Albuquerque? New Mexico was one of only at that time it was one of 13 states without a dental school. Uh now I think that number is only 11 but at that point 13 states did not have dental school. New Mexico being one of them >> and that obviously means not enough dental clinics to serve an under >> sorivriv. And if you look at the population of New Mexico uh which is 2.2 2 million people. >> The dental dentist to population ratio in New Mexico is about 43 dentists per 100,000 people. >> Uh the national average is uh 61 per 100,000 people. Again, if you look at the number of dentists, let's say specifically in Albuquerque, >> the probably the percentage is not so bad, >> but as soon as you drive an hour outside of Albuquerque, assuming you're not going to Santa Fe, um there's just not going to be enough. I'm glad you explained this because now I understand the whole dynamic uh of these hundred students going out there and really serving the population. It's not that the school is serving the the western part of United States. It's that your students are serving a a population that really needs you out there. That is true. >> Uh and there are other states in the union that that could use the same service, right? Not suggesting you should expand there. I'm just saying this is not an uncommon problem. Uh Dr. Myers is with us, uh dean of the dental school, the uh Turo College of Dental Medicine, I should say. You got the big gayla this coming Sunday night and we spent a couple of minutes earlier on Turo Cares. It it's an unbelievable project. You know, we I I emphasized how your students, especially in their latter years, are dealing with patients of of different backgrounds and some of them really challenged on a regular basis in your clinic. And now you're really to a degree, I know this is a new type of department, but you're expanding that in terms of serving a population who have great challenges in getting good dental care. >> Yes, that's absolutely true. It's a project that we feel very strongly about. Um >> I saw how much space you're dedicating to it, by the way. >> Yes, it's insane. >> Yeah, it's somewhere in the neighborhood of five or six thousand square feet and >> on the ground floor, by the way. >> Yeah, on the ground floor. very accessible to ambulletes and um walkers and wheelchairs. Uh so the Toro Carees project which is the center for access respect and empathy is a facility that we're going to build that approaches the needs of the intellectually and developmentally disabled population as well as others with special needs. This is a population that sorely needs access to oral health care. Um, they need people who can actually care for them in the general community. And right now there are not enough dentists who are educated in being able to manage them in their private offices. And they wind up seeking care in emergency rooms and hospitals. And they wind up on long waiting lists and their minor dental problems become more complex. And in general, the consumer doesn't love dental work. I don't know if you know that. >> Like I was joking with the students that they start with two strikes against them because nobody wants to be there and nobody can take the pain and everyone wonders in their head what's going to happen to them in that chair and then you you know you deal with people who are not able to sit still you know physically can't sit still or have certain you know um disabilities and these uh you know and the problems are obviously you know multiffold. Uh it's it's really an amazing product. I've seen this I' I'd mentioned this earlier. I've seen this with my own eyes. I've seen specialists who are able to do it. Uh and I know you're actually installing um the capability of of using sedation and and anesthesia which is amazing and >> and uh not every environment is allowed to do that. So it's the whole thing is just incredible. Anyway, Mazaltov, congratulations on the big gay on Sunday night and I hope it's a major success. And now I understand why so many people in the community like to support causes like the uh the dental school because this is a very very impressive facility and it looks like you're doing an amazing job and thanks for uh for allowing us to visit today. >> Well, I truly appreciate the time and uh thank you for all you do. >> Uh Dean Ronnie Meyers here, the dean of the Turo College of Dental Medicine. More coming up. You're listening to JM in the AM. We're at the Turo College of Dental Medicine. And the folks at Turo have been kind enough to bring a couple of students by so we could speak about the academic experience and the student experience here at the Turo Dental School. Alisa Silverberg is with us from Muny, New York. Pleasure to welcome you, Alisa. >> Thank you so much. It's a pleasure to be here. >> Thank you for that. And Dovy Tigman who now lives in Queens, New York, and is a student here joins us as well. Dovy, a pleasure. >> Thank you very much. >> Uh what years are we talking now? You know, they told me that if you're in different colored scrubs, you're in different years. So, you guys fit that perfectly. You are >> end of D2. >> That's the second year >> and you would be >> end of D3. >> End of D3. >> Almost there. >> You're you're you're the senior fellow here among all of us. Uh you're the one with the most dental experience. End of D2. And the reason I start with you is because we have already learned through our conversation with Dr. cats that this is a really important transition time at starting now because toward the end of D2, your second year, >> you're going to make your way into what's going to eventually be at the beginning of D3, your third year, actual work on actual patients. So tell me first about working with mannequins with with fake models when it comes to dentistry. >> Sure. So, I mean, two days a week we go into sim lab and I mean they actually do a really really good job of I mean I haven't been in actual clinic so I don't know um but of simulating you know the the pressure that you may feel when you go into um work on real people and we're on timers and we're really practicing all the procedures that we're going to be doing. Um whether that's fillings, whether that's um you know uh >> I wonder how many procedures there are and then I have to wonder whether I've had whether I've had them all or not, >> but there are many more than the average person would encounter in their dental life, right? >> Yeah, hopefully. I mean, you definitely hope >> hopefully is right. Um and I guess the only difference and you'll you'll address this for us at least in a moment. The the the real difference is the reaction of the patient. In your case, obviously there's no reaction yet. next year you'll actually have to deal with people, you know, feeling what you're doing and experiencing the entire thing. So, what is that transition like? Because I mean, you you're now in the third year and you're actually working on real patients. Is it difficult to make that change where now you have to worry about the reaction and the feelings so to speak of the person sitting in that chair? It definitely was a learning curve, I would say, just thinking about the tongue, cheek retraction, saliva, you know, sometimes there's blood involved and that's not something that we're adjusted to before starting to treat real patients or even just patient positioning. It's a lot easier to just shove the mannequin a little if it's not in the position that's most comfortable for you. >> Um, that was definitely hard for me in the summer. I think that was more of like that transition period. Um, just learning how to position the patient where they're comfortable and I can do my job properly. I can see, I'm not injuring myself. Um, and really focusing on, you know, making sure that any like soft tissue is out of the way of what I am doing to hopefully prevent any injury. >> Wow. It's a lot you got to think about as you're doing all of this. >> Yeah. in the sim lab. Mhm. >> I noticed that it was very 2026 meaning that the doctor you as the as the trainee >> um as the student are sitting behind the top of the patient's head and I assume the same thing is happening where you are in the actual clinic right sometimes and the reason I bring this up is because yeah I know you can adjust and you can maneuver but the reason I bring this up because that was never the default in my day meaning when I was a kid many many years ago that that this was always in front of you and always, you know, doing whatever he had to do or she had to do on your mouth, >> you know, from the, you know, face to face standpoint. And this seems to be the new normal, right? >> Yes. >> And is it much easier? Is that the reason for it? >> Um, it definitely is more ergonomic for the provider, especially now, um, most students in school and new practicing dentists are wearing loops like the magnifying glasses that we wear, which is something. >> Yeah. But um I've shadowed dentists from you know wide age range but obviously superior to me and you know different backgrounds, different schooling and a lot of them were trained without loops and they might position themselves differently so that they can see better. >> So magnifiers are very big these days and specialty lighting is very big these days because it used to be you know that one massive light that was on top of the patient which was blinding. Right. >> Now it's really pinpoint lighting. Right. >> Yeah. They have overhead lights which is really nice. >> Oh, not attached. The headlamps also. That's what that's what I'm referring to. >> Oh, yeah. That's what I meant. Sorry. >> Right. I really meant the overhead. You're talking about the one attached to the head. Yes. Why'd you pursue dentistry? >> Um, dentistry to me is fun. It's creative. It's artistic. Um, I know not many people have trouble have trouble understanding that. >> Um, so you love what you do. >> I do. I really do. Um, there's always more to learn. Um, I love working with a team. I love that it's not just me alone. Um, I have the patients I communicate with. You have your staff, your assistants, your hygienists. Um, there's a lot of collaborative work between doctors also. You know, you can refer for a root canal. You can um speak with your um friends and co-workers on how best to proceed with treatment. So, it's really you're not alone, which is really nice. Um, and yeah, it's just always evolving. So, that's like exciting for me. >> I mean, I only walked around here for less than an hour, but it seems like a pretty pleasant environment. I mean, you're describing, you know, consulting with those who are who are more knowledgeable than you or have more experience, etc., but it seems like there's a real camaraderie in this building. I don't think uh, you know, I I don't think anybody's putting on a show. It seems like a show. Yeah, it's definitely not a competitive atmosphere, which is really nice. >> Why do you pursue dentistry? So, I mean, similar to Lisa, definitely that the the collaborative atmosphere. Um, I mean, we have just talk about that a little bit that we have here. Um, I I have friends in other places and I can tell you that this school really from the top down cuz that's where it starts. >> Um, they they listen to us and and they're they're responsive to our needs. Um, which is amazing whether it's Yamovim or, you know, someone has some family things going on. Um they're really really flexible. So that that's amazing. >> They get the gist of our community. >> Very much. Yeah. >> Lots of moving parts. >> Yes. Um but in terms of why I went into dentistry, um it was really it's not like there's not like one spec specific factor, but um it was more of I I love the sciences in general. Um and I like Lisa was saying, I love speaking to people and I couldn't sit behind a desk or I couldn't be in a lab. So, I wanted to work with people whether it be uh other providers or um like your patients and really help them. Um people come into the dental office many times just with pain and the fact that you can send them home um and they're feeling better and they just have their life back cuz dental pain could be really o over encompassing and um debilitating. So, I really really like that about dentistry. speaking with Dovy Tigman and Alisa Silverberg, both students here at the Turos College of Dental Medicine. Um, I would assume that now you're working in the clinic. You're dealing with a lot of underprivileged people. I mean, who who who's coming to a clinic? I mean, we know the realities. We know what the financial realities are in the world of dentistry. You know, you walk into a dentist's office, you'll be paying thousands of dollars for, you know, for a typical procedure that's needed. to h I mean do you meet a lot of people who have really postponed the need for dental work because of the situation that they're in whether it's financial or just you know they they may be part of our society that just doesn't get an opportunity to take care of these things >> unfortunately yes all the time um there are patients that come in then and they say you know I I wish I made this a priority sooner but there was so much going on in my life that it kind of fell to the back burner or I couldn't um gather the finances for it. >> Um I I don't I can't say with confidence all the ins and outs of how the school works with like insurance and you know the payment and stuff like that, but I do know that it is a struggle for people and that like you said that is why they're coming to a clinic and >> we are definitely sensitive to that. We're not going to offer a patient who's struggling you know full mouth of implants like it's almost a slap in the face. Um, so we really do try and listen to their history, to their background. We ask them like, you know, what's difficult for you to come here today or in general? Is it transportation? Is it time? Is it money? Like, is it anxiety? All of those. Sometimes all of them. >> Exactly. So, we really do try and uh look at the full picture and come up with treatment plans that will feel comfortable for them that they can, you know. >> How many patients can you see in one day? Like, you'll meet how many new people in one day? It depends on if we're in our regular home clinic is what they call it or uh on a rotation. But in a typical home clinic day, um the days that we start seeing patients at 8:00 a.m., we aim for 4:00, 2 in the morning, 2:00 in the afternoon, and then um there are some days that we have a lecture at 8:00 and the clinic only starts at 9:00. So those days we see three patients, one in the morning, two in the afternoon. >> So with all the practice you're getting, you have to be up to date on your academics as well. Yes, I'm starting to study for my boards next week. So, that's >> When do those usually take place? What month? >> Um, I'm scheduled to take mine May 18th and 19th. Some people are taking them uh end of March, some in April. >> How are dental boards considered? Are they considered very tough, impossible to pass? You need to do it a second time. Most good students could get pass right away. How are they how are they viewed out there? >> Um, it they're challenging. Um the good thing about it though is that it's all information that we've already learned um you know the first two years of school and a number of students have told me that they really did feel well prepared uh academically from our uh first two years where we like learned all of that information and now it's really just review and repetition um practice questions but the knowledge is there which is really reassuring. >> Wow very nice. Uh, final question. Do either of you fear the number of people in our community that are going into dentistry knowing that there are only a certain number of patients in the New York, New Jersey area and there seems to be a large number of both male and female dentists in New York and New Jersey area. Does this ever cross your mind? >> You can answer. >> It's interesting. Um, didn't it really cross my mind? >> Is there work for everybody? Is there work for everybody out there? >> I think there are many miles to go around. Definitely. Um, I happen to plan on moving out of town. So, um, >> for that reason? >> No, not for that reason. But >> you also >> Yeah, my family actually lives in Florida, so I'm hoping to go back there. >> Wow. Interesting. Uh, because earlier with Dr. Katz, that was one of the uh pieces of advice he says he's giving students. >> There there's uh, you know, uh, incredible number of opportunities nationwide. >> For sure. If you get out of this very densely populated with both patients and dentists, uh, you know, who are in the New York, New Jersey area. Wow. >> Also different specialties, >> right? >> That would be the main reason probably why I would move out. I'm uh planning hopefully on uh specializing in orthodontics. So >> nice. >> We'll see. >> I want to do pedes. >> Pretty amazing. Uh I thank both of you uh Dovy Tigman and Alisa Silverberg, students at the Turo College of Dental Medicine. and uh continued good luck to both of you. Thanks for joining us today. >> Thank you so much. Nice to meet you. >> More coming up. You're listening to JM in the AM. JM in the AM. And we are at the Turo College of Dental Medicine, part of course of Turo University and we are visiting with Vice Dean David Katz. Dr. Katz has been a guest of ours before here on JMA. And this coming Sunday, the Turo College of Dental Medicine is going to be honoring and celebrating Dr. David Katz for his leadership and support of our community and the Turo College of Dental Medicine. The gayla celebrating 10 years of excellence in dentistry with the Turo College of Dental Medicine is going to be happening on Sunday, February the 22nd starting at 5:00 p.m. at the Rockley Country Club in Rockley, New Jersey. Information 9145942647. Dr. David Katz, good morning and thank you for welcoming us to the Turo College of Dental Medicine. >> Good morning and welcome. You know, uh your speaker, your your listeners uh are really um very fortunate people to hear you on a daily basis for all these years. It's a credit to to everything that Yiddish Kite uh would like to project to the public you personify. So >> well I appreciate that very much. Uh let me take this opportunity to wish you a big mazletov. >> Thank you. >> I hope you're ready for Sunday night. >> Is anybody ever ready for a gayla? >> You know what it's not about? It's not about David Katz. This is really about Turo College of Dental Medicine and specifically about Turo Cares about right the project that we really want to project something that we believe represents what Turo University is all about about providing um care to the underved and that's what we hope to do with Turo Cares. >> This is the first time I've ever been in this building. I'm in the dental school so our listeners understand what's going on here. It is extremely impressive. Uh I mean uh first of all the the the the beauty of the building is incredible. That's number one. And it does seem whenever Turo does something, they do it right. Yeah. Yet another example, right? That seems to be in their DNA here. >> We're very fortunate. We we're blessed with a really good leadership and uh that has the foresight to understand what uh where uh where things are going. There's a saying in Hebrew uh Maro I know lot >> and they just understand that >> it's pretty amazing and then I got a little bit of a tour and saw the student body and uh a diverse crowd lots from our community and and representative of really the entire area it seems uh and then in addition to that the I don't know if we call them what do we call them laboratories I know there's a clinic here but I'm talking specifically about where the students were practicing the first and second year students were practicing >> simulation lab >> simulation lab and that is an extreme extremely I can't even imagine what that costs to build and how complicated and technologically advanced it is for these times. it is uh when the school was established, we had made up our minds that we were going to try to be one of the most advanced institutions in the United States. And um in fact, one of the the the perks, one of the reasons that I'm here and what attracted me was the fact that the challenge is to stay current and to provide the most current and advanced educational tools to our students. So that's one of the things that I enjoy most and we deliver uh the goods to our students. So we're constantly updating. >> So you came here after pretty robust career. >> I was a clinician. I ran a residency program, but I was a clinician in a in a group practice, >> right? >> And um I got recruited to come here. >> Uh and what a move it's been so far. And and the so I saw in this simulation lab first and second year students. How does one prepare as a student in college to go and make that leap into the first and second year of dental school? >> I'm not sure if there's a tremendous amount of preparation other than know what to expect. So, you have to you should be working on some sort of development of skills with your hands. Whether it's with pottery, with building things, you just want to develop the little bit of hand skill. As far as the the the technique and the knowledge, that's our job. That's that's on us. >> Interesting. So, I mean, those who participated in athletics in high school and college, do they have an advantage, especially if they were involved in certain sports? >> If they have if they have hand skills, I would say yes. >> That's pretty interesting. Agility in their hands. Yeah. >> And is that something that becomes obvious right away? I mean, are there students here who you're saying to yourself, boy, oh boy, they don't understand or realize that they don't have what it takes to physically do do this. >> You know, it's interesting. There are students that are slow developers, but most of the time they really come up. They pick it up. It's just sometimes people pick it up at different rates, right? And shockingly when you think about it, there are fields within dentistry that make allowances for not having the hand dexterity and skill. So for example, if someone realizes somewhere along the line that they just can't cut it with their um you like the pun on there, but if they feel that they just don't have the hand skills, they could go into research or academics. uh so there are uh different venues for people who just don't develop those skills but I would say 99% of the students do develop the skills >> and the students that I saw once they finish their second year they're literally then put into the clinic like they're going to see real patients and real life dental situations once they start their third year >> students are put into the clinic already in the middle of their second year >> they don't see patients yet but they're working in the clinic on on mannequins and >> and that's in this building >> in the building. I can take it down. I'll show you later. And uh in June of their second year, >> they're thrown in full blast with patients. >> Wow. >> Now, mind you, understand they're never left by themselves. We have we have one of the the most robust ratio of faculty to students in the United States. And we have adopted a um a teaching methodology where students are paired together a D3 which means that a third-year student is always paired with a fourth year student and they work together. >> So the third year when they're introduced to clinic they're not working by themselves. They have a mentor right next to them >> and somebody who's got you know many months under his belt at that point already. What is the dental honors pathway at Turo? Oh, that's a program. That's a wonderful program we started about a year or two ago. Um, we students that are interested in dentistry who have that feeling already in high school. um if they're of a uh a certain level can apply to dental school out of high school and if they hit the metrics and after an interview we feel that they would be a good candidate for dental school they are pretty much accepted into the dental school as long as they hit certain metrics in college they'd go straight into the dental school >> is there a precedent for it is this >> this is the new program that we started I think it's one of a kind and they save a year of college. So in other words, their fourth year is the first year of dental school. >> Right. So traditionally, I remember there was like a six-year medical school program years ago. This is correct sort of a take off on that. >> Take off of that. It's exactly right. >> Wow. And is it easy to identify high school students who have these abilities or it's all grade based? >> Um no, that's why we have the interview as well. And obviously the it it it also would depend upon it depends upon uh certain behavioral patterns in college. We're very very into uh ethics and and morality. Uh when students start uh the dental school, they all sign an honor code for professionalism and ethics. We stress it a lot. We have a course in the entire first year on ethics. We there we will never have failures from academics. We will support the students to the nth degree but the most important thing that we try to create here is a mench a person who has honor professionalism and ethics >> no matter what their background is no matter where they're from >> that's we want that we say no matter what that's if when you walk through the school later I will show you the room and that large lecture hall and every single class that has gone through so far it's a blown up honor code that everybody has signed. >> Wow. So we believe very strongly. >> Uh Dr. David Katz is vice dean of the Turo College of Dental Medicine being honored this coming Sunday night at their big gayla. All right, let's talk about the Jewish community. You know the audience you're speaking to right now. It does seem to me as an outside observer that there are a lot of uh members of the dentistry industry in our community. Is there a glut, a proliferation? Are there really a lot of dental practices within our community? And maybe we we've we've hit the limit. How would you describe it? >> You might argue that it's a very sensitive it's a very sensitive topic right now. >> Meaning because so many still want to go into the dentistry market >> that and there's going to be another school starting. So it's a limit to how many you know dentists are produced. Yes. It's cons are >> and yeah but it doesn't mean you have to necessarily settle in thei in and specifically in the New York metropolitan area. Right. >> One of uh my former students called me uh about uh 3 weeks ago asked me about uh a particular dental issue. We stay in touch with our alumni. We have a terrific relationship. And he asked me how I would handle a particular problem. I said, "Well, why don't you ask your father? You know, your father should be right next to you. I thought you went into practice with your father. Uh I don't want to say what city, but said I'll give it away." And he said, "No, I decided to leave uh this metropolitan area town." I said, "Why? You had your father's practice. You were you grew up over there." >> Says, "It's too congested. I want to go out on my own." I said, "Where'd you go?" See, I don't want to say we're in the Midwest. He went to a Midwest in a small small town in the Midwest. >> Uh I said, "There are there from people there." I says, "Yeah, we have, you know, 50 to 100 people." I said, and he says, "I love it." So I said patience. I said there's no shortage of patience. So there is opportunity. You know, for example, we opened up a school in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Now in the class of 100, this this class of 100, we have three from kids there. Whether they stay or not, I can't tell you. By the way, it's all, you know, it's all kosher. When Turo does something, we do it right. It's it's all kosher down there. >> But whether they stay or not, I can't tell you. that there is such a shortage of dentists in New Mexico if they establish a Jewish community and we do already have a kabad there. You know, the sky's is the limit. >> Interesting. So, it's really whatever impression I have and many people have, it's really limited to this area. Yeah. New York and New Jersey have a lot of Jewish dentists. >> Correct. Correct. >> And they're opening up practices or joining other practices. >> And if you go to Montana, you know, >> you'll have a job. >> Exactly. You go to New Mexico, >> you'll be able to open up your own place. >> That's right. You mentioned earlier that this coming Sunday night, one of the things you're concentrating on and really you said it's the focus of the funds that are being raised is for Turo Cares. What is Turo Cares? That's the center for uh access, respect and empathy. Um it's for the intellectually uh challenged and the physically challenged uh of our population. You know there are there are people who who in this in the world who talk the talk to talks the talk but they walk the walk also. This is a program that we really believe is providing care to the underserved. That's why I allow myself to be honored because I I'm a tremendous believer in giving back. And this is I think one of the greatest forms of uh tikun lama making the world a better place. So this is a a part of society, group of society that are probably the most underserved and underrepresented in the entire uh United States. >> Not financially based, I mean disability >> based, right? They they cannot get care in a private practice or in most class. >> And that's because most of the professionals are not confident they can actually serve them >> or capable of doing so. A lot of these think about it. Someone >> physical disabilities >> right to to his it it a person often times will have to be put to sleep in order to do it. Severe autism severe physical not exactly dentistry you need to sit still. >> I I once many years ago when I first started I had to treat a uh young man with cerebopal palsy. He had such a severe case he was in a in a chair but his head was turned 3/4 backwards. in order to receive care, he had to lie on his stomach. Okay, just imagine for the for the average dentist to try to try to to deal with that. It's not an easy thing. And especially with the the legalities of sedating or putting pe people to sleep in office, you can't do so. >> This center, we are building operating rooms that are hospital grade operating rooms and sedation rooms and special needs rooms. >> So, you'd have real anesthesiologist there. erect specifically to take care of this. >> Where is this facility? >> It's down below. >> Literally in this building. >> We're going to be building it. We have a 5,000 square foot facility that we're ready. We're trying to build. >> So, if the clinic is receiving god knows how many patients per week, >> you'll have the same type of reaction. >> There is going to be a waiting list from Yeah, absolutely. >> It's going to be one of a kind. There are a few in the immediate northeast. >> And which professionals will you use to do all this? Will you train them here? We are training them. >> That's a specialty that's going to be >> absolutely we have a few people that are already trained and we will continue to do so. We actually have two of our grads who went into this particular field. >> Yeah. So I saw this live and in person um at a CL it's very possible it was your students frankly who were doing it. It was in Brooklyn, New York. It's very possible that it was you know students from here and I I saw the difficulty. Yes. I mean, look, dentistry in general from the standpoint of the consumer is very tedious, very painful. Even if it's not really painful, psychologically painful. And it's one of the experiences that nobody wants to go for. You know, you you start with two strikes against you. You know what I'm saying? >> You're absolutely right. you know, when I was in um when I was in college and I was trying to decide on a career, um I remember going to my dentist and afterwards some of my friends said, "You know, David, don't you hate going to the dentist?" And I remember thinking about my dentist and I said, "You know, I don't love going to the dentist, but I certainly didn't hate him. He was a nice guy." I thought to myself, well, if I can go into a career that people really have that feeling of fear and make them feel like I did where I didn't fear him. I didn't love going, but he was a nice guy and make it somewhat comfortable. I'm going to do okay. And that really to a certain extent, that's one of of the the aspects of of education here is to try to have the students learn to make patients feel comfortable. >> Right. Yeah. Well, I had a different experience growing up because I'm I'm on the young end of an old family. I have a sister who was born born in 1948. So, we were going to dentists. Even those of us who were born in the 1960s, we were going to dentists whose, you know, who were in their prime in the 1950s. And I hate to describe to you what the equipment was like. >> I remember. I remember. >> And by the way, what other title have on on that generation of dentists? And I always say this to my kids, you know that today when they fill a cavity, they actually numb you. >> Yeah. Yeah. Do you know that in my day as a 9 10 11 12 year old I never received no vaccine for anything. It could have been the most severe cav cavity there was and people don't believe me when I tell them this. >> I remember that too. >> When was that? When did that change happen? By the way, >> local anesthetic became fairly regular in the no in the late 60s it became ready fairly regular >> but not for a dentist like mine whose prime time was in the 1950s. Understood. Dr. Dr. David Katz is here. So there's a lot going on in this building on this campus. At the very same time, you're you're you're developing skilled people in specialty areas like you described. And by the way, dentistry itself is specialty. I walked into the simulation lab and I'm saying to myself, they they are really getting the experience of being an actual dentist. They are they are they are practicing on models, mannequins that are, you know, as close to regular human beings as you can get. >> Correct. And by the way, they simulate exactly the same equipment that we have down in the clinic. So it is very little transaction uh transition. But you should when you think about you you're you're talking about the beauty of the school itself. But if you turn around, you'll take a look. This is all part of our campus. >> This is all part of the medical campus. So we're part of the medical school, the nursing school, the physical therapy, the physicians assistants, and we have those students interacting with our students as well. It's all happening right here. Everything you just mentioned is right here. >> All it's all it's all huge huge campus and if you don't you don't realize maybe there's a tremendous interaction as well socially which is a wonderful thing. So we have regular we have a daily minanum we have daily shurum I mean it's just remarkable when you think about what I didn't have and what we're trying to provide to the students. So over lunch we have lunch and learn usually at least once twice a week. >> I mean it's amazing >> as my father may rest in peace would say it's cavalic. And of course, the last thing we have to discuss is that it's ironic that you and I get together this time of year because it's it's this time of year that your expertise when it comes to dentistry and halaka is is really on steroids because there are shilas that you deal with all year round and and there are many shilas including what to do on shabas and dental emergencies which you have contended people generally and rabbis need to be educated about this don't realize how severe and how much of an emergency it is when you have a dental emergency. on chabas and how it has to be dealt with immediately in many cases in most cases I would I would probably argue but this time of year as we get to closer to Purum and Pesak your favorite holiday people are always >> it's all about kash >> are all about kash and pesak they they come up with stuff that you think is you know completely crazy and then you because of your expertise in the Judeaic academics prove to us that there are postkim from years ago reishon who actually dealt with these Shilas they sound like crazy shilas for pesak dealing with dentures and teeth and mouth but you come across and and tell us that they actually were dealing with >> you know hala doesn't change the application of hala can be modified based on circumstances and changes of mitsas right in fact um they had a terrific medical ethics conference last week you probably heard about >> sure >> uh and so I was it was it was very I was humbled to be invited to speak there. So I spoke on Thursday night and actually it was the first uh time they had a dental um subject. Uh in fact it went since went so well we said we're booking you next year. I said my pleasure. But but there is a lot of of dental hala that's mixed with medical and it's many most of the time it's there's a precedent in hala that we just have to find the application. >> So >> and you're and you become the expert at doing that. Well mazaltov on Sunday night Dr. David Katz being honored at the Tur College of Dental Medicine Gayla. It's happening this Sunday at the Rockley Country Club in Rockley, New Jersey. information, you can uh go to turo.edu/dental.turo.edu/gala or call 9145942647. I appreciate you uh welcoming me here today. >> Thank you very much for coming. I I apologize for the hostess of my my voice. I've been speaking a little bit too much this week. >> Too many conferences. >> Too many conferences. Simple as that. Uh Dr. David Katz here at the Turo College of Dental Medicine. More coming up. You're listening to JM in the AM.