NEW DENTAL SCHOOL OPENS ON NEOMED CAMPUS
On July 25, a group of ODA leaders toured the Bitonte College of Dentistry at the North East Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) before its official opening on Aug. 18.
On Aug. 18, the Bitonte College of Dentistry at the North East Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) in Rootstown welcomed its inaugural class of 52 dental students for orientation followed later in the week by ribbon cutting and white coat ceremonies. These events mark the opening of a third dental school in Ohio. The new Bitonte College of Dentistry joins The Ohio State University College of Dentistry and the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine in providing dental education in Ohio.
The Bitonte College of Dentistry at NEOMED offers an innovative curriculum complemented by a diverse range of clinical experiences. The didactic program leverages NEOMED’s established educational foundation in medicine and pharmacy, adapting it specifically to the field of dentistry. Clinical training during the third and fourth years is evenly divided between the College’s state-of-the-art dental clinic on the NEOMED campus and community-based training sites, where students treat patients under the supervision of experienced clinical faculty. This hybrid model is designed to expose students to a broad spectrum of patient populations, treatment needs and clinical settings.
Dr. Sorin Teich, the dean of the Bitonte College of Dentistry, stated that “our goal is to train and develop well-rounded dentists who are prepared for the rigors of clinical practice and will deliver high quality dental care meeting the needs of their patients.”
Teich comes to the Bitonte College of Dentistry from the Medical University of South Carolina School of Dental Medicine in Charleston where he served as a professor and the associate dean of clinical affairs. He previously was a professor and an associate dean at the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine in Cleveland so he is familiar with the area and the ODA.
Teich takes over from Dr. Frank Beck who was appointed as the inaugural dean in 2022. Beck has been the program director of the General Practice Dental Residency Program at Mercy Health St. Elizabeth Hospital in Youngstown. Beck worked to define a set of principles to help develop a dental school at NEOMED to meet the oral health needs of Ohioans and prepare future leaders in the dental field.
On July 25, a group of ODA leaders were invited to tour the facilities before its official opening. The group met with Teich and Beck for an information-sharing session and then Teich led the group on a tour of the new dental school. ODA Executive Director David Owsiany said “Dr. Beck had taken some of us on a hard hat tour back in November of 2024 while the sim lab and clinic were still under construction. The progress since then has been amazing. The facilities are brand new, incorporating some of the latest technology. It is all very impressive.”
ODA Secretary Dr. Roderick Adams, who is a general dentist in Cleveland, was also impressed. Adams said “we really appreciate the time Dean Teich and the Bitonte College of Dentistry’s leadership has invested in keeping organized dentistry apprised of the developments related to the new dental school. We look forward to partnering with them as they train future dentists and as the students learn to provide care to Ohioans in both their on-site clinic and during the students’ off-campus clinic experiences.”
About NEOMED
The Bitonte College of Dentistry is one of four colleges within NEOMED along with medicine, pharmacy and graduate studies. In addition to the new DDS degree program, NEOMED offers Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) and Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degrees, as well as master’s and doctoral degrees and research opportunities in other medical and life science areas. NEOMED is located in Rootstown, which is in Portage County, between Akron and Youngstown.
About Dr. Sorin Teich – Dean of the Bitonte College of Dentistry at NEOMED
In May, NEOMED announced that Teich was appointed dean of NEOMED’s Bitonte College of Dentistry. Teich officially began his duties on campus on July 1.
Teich comes to NEOMED from the Medical University of South Carolina School of Dental Medicine in Charleston, where he served as a professor and the associate dean of clinical affairs. Teich also holds adjunct academic appointments at the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry at the University of Southern California and the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine. He previously was a professor and an associate dean at the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine in Cleveland.
Teich has published over 70 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals focusing on evidence-based dentistry and dental materials, and lectures about these topics in the U.S. and overseas. He also is a scientific associate editor of “Quintessence International Journal,” “Journal of Dental Traumatology,” and a former member of the editorial review board of the “Journal of Dental Education.”
After a period of military service, Teich earned his Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry degree from the Hebrew University – Hadassah School of Dental Medicine in Jerusalem and obtained a certificate in prosthodontics from the same institution. He also graduated from the Kellogg – Recanati International Executive M.B.A. program with a joint degree from Tel Aviv University in Israel and Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois.
