ABOUT US

Howard Dental Center is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization providing the full range of oral health care for adults, youth and children living with HIV/AIDS. Our mission is to offer the highest quality treatment to our patients in a compassionate, professional atmosphere.

For patients who are HIV+, regular oral health appointments can make a huge difference. Many times, we are able to prevent a patient from moving to an AIDS diagnosis through an oral examination.

History

Howard Dental Center began as a collaborative effort between dentists and dental educators who were concerned about the lack of oral health services available for people living with HIV/AIDS. The Center began seeing HIV+ patients on December 16, 1994.

Howard Dental Center was named in memory of Dr. John Howard who was one of the first dentists in the community to treat patients with HIV and AIDS.

As a specialty oral health clinic, we represent a link between dentistry and medicine. As the disease has evolved, so have we. Our goal has always been to provide comprehensive care. So, we eliminated the “emergency-walk-in” treatment and replaced it with a care model that offers patients the full range of oral health treatments. Our highly professional and well-trained staff treats each patient as a whole person and frequently interacts with the patient’s physicians in order to provide the most appropriate treatments. Recently, we added a medical case manager to create effective outreach, intake, and patient retention systems. Our integrated model seeks to work hand-in-glove with physicians, mental health, drug and alcohol treatment agencies, nutritional counseling and tobacco cessation programs.

Our patients’ needs continue to change with the evolving nature of HIV/AIDS. The newest population to suffer disproportionate increases in new infections is women of color aged 20-30. Women traditionally seek help for children rather than themselves and are frequently victims of abuse. We have established an outreach program to encourage HIV+ women to consider comprehensive oral health care as an important part of their HIV routine. Also, we are teaming with Children’s Hospital to provide the oral health component of prenatal care for women who are HIV+.

Howard Dental is also active in providing educational opportunities for dental and hygiene students and for our professional peers nationwide. Howard Dental is a training site for fourth year dental students and for students enrolled in the International Dental program at the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine. We also published a series of brochures on treating the HIV patient in private practice. The brochures were disseminated to every dentist in Colorado and they have been purchased by a number of dental schools nationwide.

On an annual basis, we perform close to 6,000 dental procedures and treat 450 patients. For every dollar spent in expenses, we produce $1.13 worth of services. We have successfully created a model that provides the highest level of quality care with successful results.

Howard Dental Center began as the dream of a few dentists who saw an injustice. Fourteen years later, it stands as a testament to the hard work and creativity of those who have been blessed with its association.

Why Should You See Us?

Dentistry saves lives. Yes, good oral health makes you look better, eat better and smile better, but there's a more important reason to pay attention to your oral health: you'll live longer. In fact, recent studies link poor oral health to a variety of illnesses: heart disease, stroke and Alzheimer's to begin with. Another study demonstrated that reaching good periodontal health can /decrease pre-term and low-birth weight babies by 84%.

The mouth is a critical part of the body. Comprehensive oral health includes treatment planning for each patient, bringing each patient to optimum oral health and then helping each patient maintain that health. At Howard Dental Center, we provide comprehensive care . . . and that includes nutritional counseling and tobacco cessation.

For patients who are HIV+, regular oral health appointments can make a huge difference. Many times, we are able to prevent a patient from moving to an AIDS diagnosis through an oral examination. You see, oftentimes AIDS manifests orally before systemically. When our dentists and hygienists spot worrisome lesions, they will refer the patient to the primary care physician for a fast check of the T cell and Viral Loads. A change in medication can make all the difference between living with HIV or being very sick with AIDS. And, sometimes, that difference is life or death.