ABOUT DR. SINA SMITH

Helping Dental Professionals Expand What Dentistry Can Do

Dr. Sina Smith is a physician, licensed acupuncturist, educator, researcher, and author who helps dental professionals confidently incorporate evidence-informed auricular acupuncture and acupressure into everyday clinical practice.

Through Oris Dental Academy, she translates complex neuroscience, physiology, and clinical research into practical clinical skills that improve patient comfort, reduce barriers to care, and expand what dentistry can do.

Every course is designed specifically for busy clinicians who want practical education they can confidently apply in practice.
Write your awesome label here.
Write your awesome label here.
Write your awesome label here.

Credentials at a Glance

DR. SINA SMITH, MD, LAc, Dipl Ac (NCCAHM), FAAMA
The combination of physician training, formal education expertise, acupuncture practice, and clinical research allows Dr. Smith to teach auricular acupuncture through a lens that is scientifically rigorous, clinically practical, and specifically designed for dental professionals.

Scientist

  • Master of Science in Physiology and Biophysics
  • Lead author, The State of 21st Century Acupuncture in the United States (Journal of Pain Research, 2024)
  • Author of the book Demystifying Acupuncture: Modern Answers About Ancient Medicine
  • Peer-reviewed publications in acupuncture, integrative medicine, and medical education

Educator

  • Master of Arts in Medical Education and Leadership
  • Fellowship in Surgical Education
  • More than 100 invited lectures, workshops, and continuing education programs
  • Designed graduate, professional, and continuing education curricula for physicians, dentists, and acupuncturists
  • Founder and Educational Director, Oris Dental Academy

Clinician

  • Medical Doctor, General Surgery residency
  • Licensed Acupuncturist, NCCAHM certified
  • Harvard-trained medical acupuncturist
  • Advanced training in Functional Medicine, Integrative Medicine, Culinary Medicine, manual manipulation, laser therapies, herbal medicine, and nutraceuticals
  • Founder and Medical Director, Chicago Healing Center
  • Founding Director, Culinary and Integrative Medicine, SIU School of Medicine

Origin Story: Oris Dental Academy

Dr. Smith describes her earliest memories about deciding on a profession as highlighting her natural curiosity, proclivity for science and the scientific method, and desire to help people. This informed the guiding questions that would shape the rest of her life:

How does the body work?

That question led her to study physiology before medical school—she wanted to understand the science beneath medicine rather than simply memorize it, an approach that continues to shape her teaching today.

She stepped away during her surgery residency to earn a Master's degree in Medical Education and Leadership and a Fellowship in Surgical Education because understanding something never felt complete unless she could explain it clearly to someone else.

When her career took an unexpected turn and she found her dominant hand largely paralyzed, she turned to acupuncture after conventional treatments failed to restore her function. It helped enough to raise a second question.


How could acupuncture possibly work?

She then completed a four-year master's program in acupuncture, became a licensed acupuncturist, and completed Harvard Medical School's physician acupuncture training to become board certified in medical acupuncture.

She continued to study complementary disciplines, including advanced training or certifications in integrative medicine, functional medicine, culinary medicine, and others. Rather than replacing her medical training, each added another layer to her understanding of how the body responds to illness, healing, and stress.

Because of relationships with dentists in her personal and professional life, she began to explore teaching dentists about the utility of acupuncture for common chairside challenges. After speaking at dental conferences across the country and doing countless live demonstrations on audience members, she found herself hearing the same question again and again.

"Can you teach us how to do this?"

Her answer was the creation of Oris Dental Academy, including AGD-PACE certification, to begin offering formal training.

Today, Dr. Smith's work is dedicated to helping dental professionals understand the science behind auricular acupuncture and related evidence-informed approaches so they can confidently expand their clinical toolkit and improve the patient experience.

Teaching Philosophy

Dr. Smith's philosophy is simple: professional education should change what clinicians do on Monday morning—not simply what they know on Friday afternoon.

Every Oris course is built to translate complex science into practical clinical skills that integrate naturally into everyday dental practice.

Rather than replacing the techniques clinicians already use, she teaches evidence-informed approaches that expand clinicians' existing toolkit, improve patient experiences, and increase confidence in managing common challenges such as anxiety, pain, gag reflex, temporomandibular disorders, and nervous system dysregulation.

Dr. Smith also believes that techniques are only as valuable as the understanding behind them. Her goal is not simply to teach what to do, but to help clinicians understand why it works, evaluate the evidence, communicate confidently with patients, and integrate new skills safely and effectively into practice.

Ultimately, professional education should leave clinicians thinking differently, practicing differently, and delivering better patient care.

Selected Invited Presentations

Dr. Smith has delivered more than 100 invited lectures, workshops, keynote presentations, and continuing education programs for medical, dental, academic, military, corporate, and community audiences.

Healthcare & Academic Organizations

  • National Institutes of Health (NIH)
  • Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
  • U.S. Department of Defense
  • Society for Acupuncture Research
  • American Society of Acupuncturists
  • Northwestern University
  • Southern Illinois University School of Medicine
  • University of Illinois College of Medicine

Dental Organizations

  • Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting
  • Holistic Dental Association
  • Whole Health Dental Academy (Planned 2026)
  • DrBicuspid (Planned 2026)
  • AAOSH Webinar (Planned 2026–2027)
  • California Dental Society (Planned 2027)

Curriculum Vitae

Download a complete curriculum vitae, including publications, invited presentations, teaching appointments, and professional service.