For more than 100 years, proud UMKC School of Dentistry alumni in the Kutina family have been practicing across Kansas. The family, boasting dentists and hygienists educated at UMKC, appreciate their shared legacy, milestones and memories from the school.

The past year especially has given the family, with a total of eight oral healthcare practitioners across four generations, the opportunity to reflect on their years at UMKC and all the school has given them.

“I have great pride when I think of four generations of dentists all graduating from the same school,” said Larry Kutina (DDS ’88). “To be able to provide dental care for more than 100 years is an incredible journey and a legacy I am very proud to be a part of.”

The family’s legacy began with George Kutina (DDS ’25), who opened his dental office in Great Bend, Kansas, in 1925. George’s son, Loren (DDS ’61), joined the practice shortly after his own dental school graduation. And Loren’s son, Larry, joined the family practice in 1989.

Larry’s chief memory of his grandfather George is his unfailing work attire. Every day, he wore a crisp, white button-down shirt and a smock with a black tie.

“I look back at those old pictures, I don’t know if I could have practiced with spittoons getting passed around, using belt driven handpieces while performing stand-up dentistry with no stool,” Larry said. “My back couldn’t handle that.”

Larry worked alongside his dad for about 13 years until Loren retired in 2002. Larry fondly remembers attending the Midwest Dental Conference (MDC) with his dad, getting to see Loren in a different light and hearing stories about his grandpa.

One of Larry’s favorite family stories is about a time George and Loren shared a hotel room while attending the conference. Every MDC, George and a few other dentists would get together to play poker. One of those nights, Loren went out with his own buddies. He got back to their room in the early morning hours and snuck in quietly to avoid waking his dad.

“But my grandfather was nowhere to be found,” Larry said. “When my dad woke up at 6 a.m., there was my grandfather, already awake and brushing his teeth — no mention of how late that poker game went.”

Larry’s son, Andrew (DDS ’18), reflected fondly on the days when his dad and grandpa Loren practiced together.

“I remember a lot of days just sitting in there or running up and down the hall,” said Andrew. “It was the ’90s. Times were different compared to today.”

According to Larry’s children, dentistry was never pushed on either of them. Andrew wanted to be a dentist for as long as he can remember. His sister, Elizabeth (DDS ’23), decided on dentistry after she completed her undergrad at Kansas State University. Now, Andrew is practicing in Manhattan, Kansas, and Elizabeth is practicing in the Wichita area.

Both siblings have treated patients who were former patients of their dad. Andrew can count more than 20, and one or two even remember Andrew assisting his dad at the clinic in Great Bend. According to Andrew, Manhattan is a popular choice for retirees from Great Bend, as well as other small towns in western Kansas, who are looking to retire to a bigger city.

“Some of my first patients were ones that remember me assisting for my dad,” said Andrew. “That was a real full circle moment for me.”

Father, son and daughter have shared a number of School of Dentistry milestones, from white coat ceremonies to graduation. Loren and Larry were the ones to hood Andrew, and Andrew and Larry took part in Elizabeth’s hooding ceremony.

Larry cherishes how his relationships with his kids have evolved.

“Our texting has changed. I’m like a mentor from afar,” said Larry, who still practices in Great Bend. “It’s been cool to be that for them, help them with some situations, not just techniques for practicing dentistry, but some patient management things too.”

Larry’s enthusiasm for dentistry was imprinted on Elizabeth early on and has stuck with her. When she and her brother were growing up, every time Larry got a new piece of equipment, he wanted to show his kids how it worked. She fondly remembers the time her dad got his first-generation CEREC mill and then showed them how he could produce crowns in his office.

“He was always teaching us,” said Elizabeth. “Until recently, I did not know just how much I absorbed and had taken into my daily practice now.”

Their family history in dentistry is special for all three of them, and Andrew and Elizabeth are proud to have this connection to their great grandfather, some 100 years later.

“It is such a special legacy,” said Elizabeth. “Not many people can say they share something so strong with so many generations of their family.”

Other members of the Kutina family who are also UMKC School of Dentistry graduates include Alan Marcotte (DDS ’89), son of George’s daughter, Mary. Alan was classmates with Larry during dental school, and went on to practice in Winfield, Kansas. And Larry wasn’t the only child of Loren’s to go into the dental field. Larry’s sisters, Julie (BSDH ’81) and Jan (BSDH ’86) also went to UMKC. Julie retired from dental hygiene in 1987, and Jan works in the Kutina family practice with her brother.

“I’m so thankful to the UMKC School of Dentistry for starting and continuing my family’s legacy,” Larry said.

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