2025 Award of Distinction: Sarah Hoerler

For Sarah Hoerler, 2025 Award of Distinction recipient for full-time clinician, the honor means more than clinical excellence. She and five other dental hygienists received the award at this summer's RDH Under One Roof.

As a hygienist in the Department of Dental Specialties at Mayo Clinic, Sarah collaborates with multiple specialties, including periodontics, prosthodontics, orthodontics, sleep medicine, and oral and maxillofacial surgery, to provide care for patients with complex medical conditions.

She sees patients who are hospitalized, who are sometimes on ventilators, and she knows what to do to help them maintain their oral care while they're in the hospital. Her goal is always to give patients the best care possible.