UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry’s doors, visitors encounter a small but meaningful historical display: a detailed timeline and video illustrating
milestones in dental history, and a mural professing its mission “to be a leader in dental education.” It’s a quiet reminder that Houston’s dental future has long been rooted in its past. The school has shaped oral health care in Texas for more than a century.
Founded in 1905 as the Texas Dental College, it was the state’s first dental school, laying the foundation for generations of dentists, hygienists, researchers, and specialists. But the institution is more than a school. It’s also a hospital and research center all in one, says Dr. John A. Valenza, a 1981 graduate and now the dean of UTHealth School of Dentistry.
Source: The Houston School That Built Texas Dentistry / Houstonia