The San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC) is affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco and several Veterans Health Clinics. We provide comprehensive healthcare to approximately over 1.3 million veterans in the Northern California. The population treated within the VA hospital setting has significant dental needs. Patients typically have an array of debilitating physical, psychological, and medical conditions that complicate their dental treatment. The staff and residents are highly trained in the management of these patients. The spectrum of dental care ranges from unscheduled emergency procedures to comprehensive evaluation and treatment of eligible inpatients and outpatients, which encompasses most dental specialties (excluding orthodontics and pedodontics). Special emphasis is placed on providing treatment to patients with dental conditions associated with or exacerbating complex medical problems including head and neck cancer, trauma, cardiovascular pathology, diabetes, radiation treatment, organ transplant, and more.

The Dental Service enjoys support from other services within the Medical Center including radiology, laboratory, and prosthetics. Additionally, it provides broad consultative services to ENT, Radiation Therapy, Orthopedics, CT Surgery, Psychiatry, Medicine, and the Community Living Center (CLC) Nursing Home Care Unit. Emergency services are provided for head and neck trauma and oral infections. Associated functions and activities of the Dental Service include resident training, patient education, and clinical research projects.

The Dental Service is staffed by full-time and part-time dentists, including specialists in endodontics, prosthodontics, periodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, and residents (general practice, prosthodontics, periodontics, and oral and maxillofacial surgery), expanded function dental assistants, dental assistants, dental hygienists, and a laboratory technician.