Dr. Robert J. Buhite

Buhite, Robert J. DDS
Irondequoit: Friday, June 9, 2023. He is survived by his loving wife of 69 years, Frances (Boccia) Buhite; children, Dr. Robert J. (Dr. Cathy Hahn) Buhite II, Pamela Buhite (Jon Dennee), Tracy (Daniel) Hernandez; grandchildren, Joshua Hernandez, Jonathan Hernandez (Alexandra Miller), Robert J. Buhite III, Vanessa Buhite; great granddaughter, Delilah Hernandez; sister-in-law and brother-in-law,Patricia and Roger Newell; many nieces, nephews, and dear friends.
Dr. Buhite was a graduate of The Aquinas Institute and Siena College. He then went to Saint Louis University on a Fellowship to study and teach Anatomy and Physiology in the Medical and Dental Schools, ultimately receiving his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree. He spent two years serving as a dental officer in the U.S. Navy before returning to Rochester in 1961 and establishing his dental practice on Portland Avenue.
He married Frances in 1954. She followed him to St. Louis and then to Bainbridge, MD. After returning to Rochester, they raised a family, living first in Charlotte and then moving to West Irondequoit in 1972.
Dr. Buhite was a pioneer in the field of Implant Dentistry. He was a featured lecturer on the topic, and from 1986-1993, he taught Implant Dentistry as a member of the faculty at Harvard University School of Dental Medicine, flying back and forth from Rochester to Boston every Tuesday and Thursday. Dr. Buhite was the founding Director of the Implant Dentistry Program at SUNY at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine and recently oversaw the design and construction of the Buhite-DiMino Center for Implant Dentistry and Advanced Dental Education which opened at SUNY Buffalo this year. He continued to teach and oversee dental implant surgeries at UB during this recently completed academic year.
He was a member of the American Dental Association, Seventh District and Monroe County Dental Societies, a Founding member of the Apollonian Dental Study Club, Past-President of the American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry, Diplomate and Honored Fellow of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, Distinguished Fellow and Diplomate of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists, Fellow of both the American and International Colleges of Dentistry, and Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry. He also served on the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs.
His awards are numerous, including, most recently, the 2021 AAID Presidential Citation and the 2023 SUNY at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine Dean's Award.
During the summers, he enjoyed playing golf at Oak Hill Country Club where he was a long-standing member, and in the winter, he enjoyed skiing at Holimont in Ellicottville, NY.
His true passions were caring for his patients and teaching his students. He loved his family, friends, and the people with whom he worked, both those in his private practice and those at the university.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 17, 2023, at Holy Cross Church 4492 Lake Avenue Rochester, NY 14612. In lieu of flowers, donations to establish the Buhite Scholarship may be made as tax deductible contributions to The Buhite-DiMino Corridor for Oral and Maxillofacial Health, Inc, 564 East Ridge Road, Rochester, NY 14621.