Baltimore's Best Winners 2026 6.28.26 - Flipbook - Page 43
Baltimore's Best | Sunday, June 28, 2026 43
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BEST ORTHODONTIST AND PEDIATRIC DENTIST
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY
650 W. Baltimore St., 410-706-7101. dental.umaryland.edu
The institution that would later be
known as the University of Maryland
School of Dentistry was established in 1840,
making it the oldest dental school in the
country.
More than 180 years later, at the school’s
Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric
Dentistry, clinical professor and chair Dr.
Vineet Dhar said the mission has remained
the same: “Advance oral health and improve lives.”
The department is split into the Divisions of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, each of which offers faculty-super-
vised care provided by dental residents in
the respective specialties.
“We are trained ... to care for the whole
patient — not just focus on the teeth, but focus on the families and make that difference,“ Dhar said. “When the patient leaves
your office and you’re able to restore smiles,
that’s the win.”
Care at the department is tailored to a
diverse and inclusive patient base. The clinics serve patients receiving medical assistance, as well as those with special health
needs and those without dental insurance.
“We really work hard to bring care to
families who don’t have a lot of resources
or access to care that most people will take
for granted,“ Dhar said. “That is so central
to who we are and our clinical work as
well.”
Being named one of Baltimore’s Best in
a reader’s choice poll, Dhar said, is especially significant to the members of the
practice.
“I’m excited to hear that the communities and the families we serve are celebrating the care we provide to them,” he said.
“This recognition means so much to us.”
— Jane Godiner
Dr. Vineet Dhar poses in the Dr. Raymond and Mrs. Adele Cohan Pediatric Dental Clinic, a part of the University of Maryland School of
Dentistry. The clinical professor chairs the Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry; his department was named Baltimore’s Best
in both categories. The school also won an honorable mention for Best Dentist. “This recognition means so much to us,” he said.
RYAN BOWIE/STAFF
