Daniel E. Jolly, DDS

Driven by a desire to be of services to others, Daniel E. Jolly, DDS has built a decades-long career as an accomplished dentist, medical and legal consultant, educator, and public speaker specializing in general and forensic dentistry. He has excelled as a chief forensic dentist and an odontologist for both Franklin County Coroner’s Office and Licking County Coroner’s Office, since 2000 and 2019, respectively, and a part-time dental director for a regional insurance company since 2013. In addition, he has lent his knowledge and experience in the field as an expert witness and legal consultant for numerous trials.

Equipped with a Bachelor of Arts in biology and chemistry and a Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Dr. Jolly completed a residency in hospital dentistry at VA Medical Center in 1978 and subsequently launched a private practice in Wyoming. For nearly 10 years, he taught at the University of Missouri and worked as the chief of restorative dentistry at the Truman Medical Center; during this stretch, he was also active as the director of dental oncology at Trinity Lutheran Hospital. In 1987, he joined the faculty at Ohio State University, where he served as a professor and the director of the General Practice Residency Program up until his retirement from the school in 2008. In the midst of his current positions, he was also active as the president of Immediadent of Ohio from 2008 to 2013. Dr. Jolly was instrumental, too, in helping Clinica Esperanza, a nonprofit medical clinic that provides low-cost, quality health care to those in Honduras, get off the ground.

In addition to these roles, Dr. Jolly has lent his services to a wide range of organizations over the course of his career. In the 1980s, he was a consultant at Lee’s Summit Care Center, a member of the board of directors for the Rinehart Foundation as part of the School of Dentistry at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, a consultant at Longview Nursing Center, and has been active as the director of the Honduras Clinic Project since 1992—through which he provides quality dental care to underserved areas. The esteemed author of “OSU Manual Hospital Dentistry” since 1989, as well as “Nursing Home Dentistry” and “Hospital Dentistry,” he’s been a frequent speaker on forensics and medical dentistry across several venues over the years. In the late 1990s, he became involved in the United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps.

As a testament to his work, Dr. Jolly has accrued such accolades as the Alumni Achievement Award in Dentistry from the University of Missouri-Kansas, a Humanitarian Award from the Ohio Dental Association, and even had a scholarship fund named in his honor at the Ohio State University of Dentistry in 2000. He also remains connected to his field as a fellow of the American College of Dentistry, the Academy of Dentistry for the Handicapped, the American Association of Hospital Dentists and the Academy of General Dentistry; he’s also actively affiliated with the American Association of Hospital Dentists and the American Board of Special Care Dentistry.

Looking ahead, Dr. Jolly plans to devote more time to education. To any new and upcoming professionals entering his field, he advises them to “always keep a strong work ethic, keep an open mind, and have common sense” as well as avoid discriminatory thoughts and behaviors. In his free time, Dr. Jolly, who has four children and five grandchildren, enjoys photography, scuba diving, swimming, and riding horses.