Why He Was Nominated

Dr. Scott treats more than 800 special-needs patients through his affiliation with local state-run group homes for developmentally disabled adults. These patients are often anxious and rather un­cooperative — being bitten isn’t uncommon, Dr. Scott notes — but his expert hand calms them and helps bring their sometimes neglected oral health up to standard.

Favorite Aspect of Dentistry

Serving the underserved. “If every dentist in the U.S. would agree to take 20 special-needs patients, the medically compromised and those less fortunate, the whole access-to- care issue would be nonexistent,” he says. “And the personal satisfaction you receive is tenfold.”

Biggest Challenge

Paperwork and politics. “Every state in the country is cutting back on the benefits these patients receive, and although a patient might benefit from a procedure,” he says, the state might not foot the bill.

Something People Don't Know

Dr. Scott’s dream is to get a pilot’s license that would enable him to fly midsize private planes. Also, before he was a dentist, he was a mortician. He went into dentistry because that business, perhaps surprisingly, isn’t so good these days: “More and more people are getting cremated.”