This award recognizes a graduate from the past 10 years whose accomplishments enhance the perception of the dental profession and who has demonstrated remarkable service to the community. The 2022 award honors Jordan L. Virden, DDS ’17, ’19, in recognition of her efforts to provide evidence-based oral health education to parents and caregivers and her commitment to helping create the next generation of dental students and pediatric dental residents. 

After graduating from Virginia Tech in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences, Virden went on to earn a DDS in 2017 and a Pediatric Dental certificate in 2019 from the University of Maryland School of Dentistry (UMSOD).   

As an associate pediatric dentist at Smiles4Children, Virden provides dental care for patients ranging from one-year-olds to young adults and patients with special healthcare needs. In addition to her role at Smiles4Childen, she serves as a UMSOD Dean’s Faculty member in the Division of Pediatric Dentistry.  She also is involved with the Maryland Academy of Pediatric Dentists and the Maryland State Dental Association, serving on the New Dentist Committee.  

Virden is the creator of the Instagram account @smallteeth_bigworld, which focuses on pediatric dental care and has more than 10,000 followers. Through it, she provides evidence-based pediatric dental information to parents and healthcare providers. Using social media, she works to combat misinformation online, create easily understood and shared content, and provide resources to pre-dental and dental students interested in the pediatric dental field. Virden was featured in Romper Magazine as one of its “9 Dentists to Follow on Instagram for Kids’ Teeth Tips.”  

The recipient of numerous honors and awards, Virden is the May 2017 recipient of the Maryland Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Award for best performance in pediatric dentistry, the Delta Dental Student Leadership Award, and the Katharine Toomey Plaque for Devotion to the School and to the Profession.