The MDA Annual Awards of Dentist of the Year, Outstanding New Dental Leader and Distinguished Service honor individual dentist members for their contributions to the dental profession and their communities.
Association Awards
Dentist of the Year Dr. Herbert Silva
This award recognizes a member who has demonstrated outstanding service to the dental profession and/or his or her community in the past year.
D
r. 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 vet- erans 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, peri- odontal care, restorations, as well as hundreds of necessary extrac- tions along with other needed pre-prosthetic surgeries, resulting in partial and full dentures benefi ting hundreds of veterans. In 2025, 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 benefi t from being engaged in all phases of diagnosis, treatment planning and fabrication of removable prosthesis. This enhances their clinical skills and cultural com- petencies, 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 gradu- ates at the Smiles of Hope Dental Clinic in Dexter, Mo. In 2025, close to 700 patients were screened and triaged, with treatment plans developed through Dr. Silva. His 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 ADA, MDA and Greater St. Louis Dental Soci-
ety, of the American Dental Education Association. He is a Fellow of the International College of Dentists. In 2024, Dr. Silva received the GSLDS Humanitarian Award and the ICD USA Humanitarian Award.
You are being acknowledged as Dentist of the Year primarily for your service to veterans. As a Vietnam veteran yourself, tell us a little about your time in the military (what prompted you to enlist, where did you serve, what were your duties, etc.). Also, before you enlisted in the Marines you attended tiny MacMurray College in Jackson- ville, IL. What circumstances came together to spur you to attend dental school? Did you always plan on being a dentist or did you have other career goals?
I grew up in the 1960s in Rhode Island. My dad had been an Army artillery offi cer, and I was born nine months after he returned from World War II. He was a great role model for commitment to service and family. I attended MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Ill., looking to get away from New England. I played soccer all four years (the coach was a Marine before getting into coaching), and I earned BA degrees in psychology and sociology. The Vietnam war was ongoing during the mid-1960s. Inspired by my father, I was not afraid of the military. I wanted to fl y: fast movers, A4 attack aircraft. As it turned out, the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) provided the best deal to suit my perspective. I took their fl ight aptitude test and went to Quantico between my junior and senior year for the Offi cer Candidate Program. I excelled and returned to school for my senior year in the best possible shape for playing college soccer.
I was off ered a regular commission, only to fi nd out that after I ac- cepted the regular commission my aviation contract was nullifi ed. All regular USMC offi cers are in the infantry, so I was commis- sioned at college graduation and headed directly to infantry (The Basic School) in Quantico. During my last year in college, I met my wife-to-be. It turned out that her dad was a Naval aviator during World War II and fl ew off carriers. I spent six months learning to be an infantry platoon Lieutenant with orders into the Republic of Vietnam (RVN). We were planning to get married on my 30-day leave prior to deployment, but my orders changed as needs of the service dictated pilots were in demand. This necessitated a change to our wedding date, and we were married in northern Illinois on
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