This fall Texas A&M Health Science Center Baylor College of Dentistry opened its doors to 100 entering dental students and 31 dental hygiene students. After a week of orientation, tuition payments and social activities, the new students began to acclimate themselves to life at the dental school.

The cumulative grade-point average is 3.6 for the dental hygiene class and 3.51 for the dental class. Ninety-one percent of the dental students and 100 percent of the hygiene students are Texas residents, with ages ranging from 19 to 42.

The entering dental class, composed of 50 men and 50 women, hails from 45 colleges and universities, where most of the students majored in biological science. There are business, chemistry and social science majors — among others — in the group as well, although these students have completed a significant number of upper division biology courses before entering dental school.

In the first-year dental hygiene class, there are 16 colleges and universities represented. These students, including 30 women and one man, have completed two years or more of coursework toward their bachelor's degrees in dental hygiene. They will complete their final two years of coursework and clinical education at HSC-BCD.