The
college, like many other institutions,
also struggled during the Great Depression
and World War II.
But strong leadership enabled it to overcome
its physical and financial challenges during
the 1950s, opening one of the first dental
hygiene schools in the state, building a
new dental clinic and expanding and improving
its programs and faculty.
In 1969, the State of Texas asked the dental
school to assume a state-supported role to
educate students who were Texas residents.
Two years later, the college ended its formal
affiliation with the Baptist General Convention
and Baylor University, becoming a private,
non-profit, non-sectarian, state-supported
institution with its own board of trustees
and changing its name to simply Baylor College
of Dentistry. |
 |
BCD went
through two more significant changes in the
1990s — merging in 1996 with The Texas
A&M University System and, in 1999, becoming
a founding member of The Texas A&M University
System Health Science Center.
Since its founding, Baylor College of Dentistry
has graduated 8,000 dentists and dental hygienists.
The college has produced four presidents
of the American Dental Association, two presidents
of the American Dental Hygienists Association,
an assistant dental surgeon general as well
as numerous scholars, authors, scientists,
inventors and dental practitioners.
The dental school’s oral health sciences
education programs, research, specialized
patient care and continuing dental education
are nationally recognized as is the college’s
commitment to institutional effectiveness.
It is also internationally recognized for
educating outstanding clinicians. |
The
story of Baylor College of Dentistry is one
of vision, determination and dedication. Founded
in 1905 in Dallas as State Dental College,
BCD has evolved from a small, struggling trade
school to one of the nation’s finest dental
colleges, now part of the young and aggressive
Texas A&M University System Health
Science Center. 
