Downtown Dallas is home to the Texas A&M College of Dentistry, and now the school’s clinics have a new home.
Students returned from winter break this month to a new nine-story Clinic and Education Building. Future dentists will have access to advanced technology and specialized clinics and just as important is the opportunity to treat thousands more underserved patients who need to see a dentist.
The dental school currently serves approximately 100,000 per year. The new clinic building means another 40,000 people can now see a dentist, an increase of up to 40%.
“Patients and students are at the heart of what we do,” said Dr. Lawrence E. Wolinsky, the dean of the school. “The new clinical building is truly going to help the college meet the ever-expanding need for reputable patient-centered care in a compassionate environment. Our students will gain a unique learning experience that will benefit them throughout their professional careers.”
In a news release, the dental school also says “to address the shortage of dental health care providers in the state’s underserved areas, the dental school’s goal is to increase enrollment while maintaining its position as one of the nation’s most diverse dental schools.”
The new $127 million building is the first stand-alone building constructed for the dental school since 1950. The school says $72-million of the building’s estimated cost came from approval for bond authority that the A&M Health Science Center received from the Texas Legislature during the 2015 session.
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“This is an exciting time as we reach a new milestone in the history of the College of Dentistry,” Wolinsky said.
