The Eastman Dental Institute for Oral Health is celebrating 100 years since George Eastman opened his first dental dispensary in the city of Rochester.
"Rochester was the first place, but then he opened additional dispensaries in Europe, in London, in Rome, in Brussels, in Stockholm and in Paris," said Dr. Eli Eliav, director of the Eastman Institute for Oral Health.
Eliav says there weren't many philanthropists that supported dentistry the way Eastman did.
He says they are training the next generation of specialists in dentistry at the Institute, and their focus is on treating patients with special needs.
"Patients with intellectual, developmental disabilities, older adults, and patients with complex diseases need an interdisciplinary and inter professional approach in order to treat them," he said. "We would like to provide care without any compromise. Patients with special needs and complex diseases should get the highest end treatment in dentistry like everyone else."
A scientific conference is being held today, with leaders from each Eastman Institute in Paris, Rome, London and Stockholm are speaking at a reception this evening.
Eliav says representatives from all the other Eastman Dental Institutes are among the 600 people from 25 countries and 25 states on hand for the celebration, which includes a gala tomorrow night.
This story was produced by WXXI’s Inclusion Desk, focusing on disabilities and inclusion.