More than one hundred years ago in Dallas, Baylor College of Dentistry opened its doors to its first 40 students as State Dental College, a private three-year dental school.
When the college became a part of Baylor University in 1918, it was renamed Baylor University College of Dentistry.
The college continued as a unit of Baylor University until Aug. 1, 1971. At that time it became Baylor College of Dentistry, a private, nonprofit, nonsectarian corporation chartered by the state of Texas to conduct educational programs in dentistry and related fields.
On Sept. 1, 1996, BCD became an institution of The Texas A&M University System. The college became a component of the Texas A&M Health Science Center on Jan. 1, 1999.
Baylor College of Dentistry (BCD), a member of The Texas A&M University System since 1996, is a nationally recognized center for oral health sciences education, research, specialized patient care and continuing dental education. As the largest single provider of oral health care services in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, the college has combined higher education and research with community service for 100 years.
The college is one of three dental schools in the state and the only one in North Texas. Almost two-thirds of all dentists in the Dallas/Fort Worth area earned their degrees at BCD, and more than one-third of all dentists in Texas are graduates of the college. The college graduates the largest number of dental hygienists with bachelor's degrees in the state.
Baylor College of Dentistry offers a doctor of dental surgery degree, a bachelor's degree in dental hygiene, and post-doctoral degrees in the dental specialties as well as biomedical sciences. A dual-degree oral surgery program is offered in conjunction with Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.
BCD is centrally located in Dallas, about a mile east of the downtown business district, adjacent to Baylor University Medical Center. College faculty also direct dental clinics at two local children's hospitals and provide oral health care services through the Parkland Health and Hospital System, the Veterans Affairs North Texas Health Care System: Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Baylor University Medical Center and Denton State School.
