As a longtime supporter of the Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry, Patterson Dental joins leaders in the dental profession and community members to support the museum and its mission to provide the public, especially children, with access to information about oral health. To increase public awareness of good oral health and its connection to overall health, the NMD provides learning opportunities for students, preserves historic artifacts and presents innovative exhibitions.

Patterson Dental, in conjunction with the Patterson Foundation, also led the way to help create the museum’s traveling education exhibit Your Spitting Image – What your mouth says about you. NMD’s traveling exhibition program has reached more than 2 million people at children’s and science museums nationwide, inspiring people of all ages to keep their smiles bright and healthy. Through this interactive exhibit, visitors can step into the role of a forensic investigator to solve mysteries, to see what’s in that remarkable fluid called saliva, and to find out how scientists are using bioengineering to grow new teeth.

In 2003, the 108th Congress designated the NMD as the official museum of the dental profession.