Dr. Herbert Silva, St. Louis Area Dentist, Honored as MDA Dentist of the Year

Herbert Silva, DMD, FICD, Assistant Professor at A.T. Still University Missouri School of Dentistry and Oral Health (MOSDOH), has been named the 2025 Missouri Dental Association (MDA) Dentist of the Year Award winner. He was honored at the Association’s annual awards banquet hosted during its House of Delegates meeting at Margaritaville Lake Resort, June 27, 2026.

The Dentist of the Year Award recognizes a member dentist who has demonstrated outstanding service to the Association, to the profession of dentistry, and/or to the community in the past year.

Dr. Silva was selected for his outstanding service to the dental profession through his role as founder of the MOSDOH Smile for Veterans Project, which provides no-cost extractions and dentures to veterans in Missouri. Under Dr. Silva’s leadership, underserved rural and urban veterans, primarily from St. Louis and southeastern Missouri, are receiving care.

The MOSDOH Smiles for Veterans team has provided treatment consisting of screenings and comprehensive examinations, periodontal care, restorations, as well as hundreds of necessary extractions along with other needed pre-prosthetic surgeries, resulting in partial and full dentures benefiting hundreds of veterans. In 2025 alone, more than 250 veterans were screened, with treatment completed for 70, including 122 full denture arches delivered at no cost. In addition to the care provided to veterans, dental students involved in the program benefit from being engaged in all phases of diagnosis, treatment planning, and fabrication of removable prosthesis. This enhances their clinical skills and cultural competencies, while strengthening their commitment to serving underserved populations.

In addition to the MOSDOH Veterans Program, Dr. Silva oversees procedures performed by MOSDOH students, faculty and graduates at the Smiles of Hope Dental Clinic in Dexter, Mo. In 2025 alone, close to 700 patients were screened and triaged, with treatment plans developed through Dr. Silva.

Dr. Silva’s support and devotion to fellow veterans, coupled with his passion for mentoring dental students, demonstrate his dedication to the dental profession.

Dr. Silva received his Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from the Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine in 1977. He is a member of the American Dental Association, MDA and Greater St. Louis Dental Society (GSLDS), of the American Dental Education Association. Dr. Silva is a Fellow of the International College of Dentists (ICD), an honorary designation recognizing outstanding professional achievement, ethical standards and community service. In 2024, Dr. Silva received the GSLDS Humanitarian Award and the ICD USA Humanitarian Award.