School of Dental Medicine expands patient care, services

In September, Harvard University Health Services (HUHS) announced that its dental service would close at the end of the year due to financial pressures amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) announced today that it will reopen the dental practice in February.

HSDM is the only Harvard graduate school to offer direct patient care and already offers dental services at the Harvard Dental Center in the Longwood Medical Area.

The  Harvard Dental Center-Cambridge, located at 114 Mount Auburn St., will serve dental patients of the former HUHS practice and also welcome new patients from the community. A number of providers and staff previously employed by the HUHS Dental Service are expected to continue working in the practice.

“The HUHS Dental Service was well-regarded by its patients and served many members of the Harvard community, including employees, students, and retirees, for more than 50 years. I am delighted that we will be able to offer oral health care to these patients and welcome new patients in Cambridge and the surrounding communities,” said School of Dental Medicine Dean William V. Giannobile. “This is a unique opportunity for us to fill a critical gap in care at a time when continuity of oral health care and maintaining overall health is so vital. It is also very much at the heart of HSDM’s clinical and educational mission.”

The scope of dental services offered at the Mount Auburn location will offer specialties such as oral surgery, implant dentistry, orthodontics, prosthodontics, and other specialties not previously available at the HUHS clinic. The clinic will also accept additional insurance plans, broadening access to the greater Cambridge community.

“This is a unique opportunity for us to fill a critical gap in care at a time when continuity of oral health care and maintaining overall health is so vital.”

William V. Giannobile, dean of HSDM

“We are incredibly grateful to our dental patients, past and present, who have trusted us with their care for over 50 years, and we are thrilled that HSDM will continue to provide exemplary services to our community,” said Giang T. Nguyen, executive director of HUHS.

The practice will offer HSDM residents — dentists in Advanced Graduate Education programs — additional opportunities for patient care and specialty training in Cambridge under faculty supervision.

“With a proud history of more than 150 years of excellence in dental education, I’m confident that we are well-positioned to bring a high level of care and expertise that has always been associated with our School and its mission. Our faculty, staff and residents have shown great dedication in providing care in our practices throughout the pandemic, and we look forward to this exciting new endeavor,” Giannobile said.