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School of Dentistry

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SOD Dean

Message from the Dean

As a comprehensive center of dental education, patient care, and research, UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry is dedicated to improving overall health by improving oral health.

We were the first dental school in Texas and are currently the only one in the Texas Gulf Coast region, and our faculty and students provide everything from routine to complex dental care while educating the community on maintaining good oral health.

Whether by educating the next generation of dental professionals, expanding community outreach efforts, or pursuing collaborative research and patient care, philanthropy provides the resources to bring our vision to life.

John Valenza, DDS

  • Dean
  • The William N. Finnegan III Distinguished Professor in the Dental Sciences

Giving opportunities

Our fundraising priorities reflect the importance of our assets and strengths in forming the foundations for our vision of the future.


Supporting scholarships to train dental professionals

Students and residents at the School of Dentistry benefit from state-of-the-art facilities, technology, and instruction in classes, labs, clinics, and outreach initiatives. Under the supervision of world-class faculty, dental and dental hygiene students as well as residents conduct research, engage in valuable service-learning in the community, and treat patients in our various teaching clinics.

Your gift to scholarships creates a ripple effect: You make a difference for each scholarship recipient, who will go on to treat patients and improve the overall health of their communities.

SOD Students
Give Vets A Smile

Delivering vital community outreach

Nearly 5 million Texans have no health or dental insurance, putting oral health care out of financial reach. For more than 100 years, the School of Dentistry has been a dependable source of high-quality, low-cost dental care for patients of all ages through our community outreach programs across the state and at our primary care location in the Texas Medical Center. Our programs focus on three of the most vulnerable populations—children, older adults, and communities without access to care—through our Mobile Dental Van and outreach events, such as Give Kids A Smile and Give Vets a Smile.

Your support can bolster programs like these to bring much-needed oral health care and education to underserved communities.

SOD Research

Advancing research to improve oral health

The school’s rich history of innovation positions us to raise the bar in diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and care. Through discovery science and clinical and translational research, we address health challenges, such as painful temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders and deadly oral cancers. Our state-of-the-art research centers allow faculty and trainees to collaborate with experts throughout the university and with peer institutions to better understand oral health and its impact on systemic health.

By making a gift to research and clinical programs, you can help improve our collective understanding of the link between oral health and overall health, bringing smiles to more people.

Impact stories of philanthropy


The impact of philanthropy is seen in the lives of those who receive care from our health providers, the discoveries our researchers make, and the numerous communities our initiatives reach.

School of Dentistry

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Connect with us

Contact the Office of Development with questions or to explore how you can make a meaningful impact to improve health in our communities.

7000 Fannin Street, Suite 1200
Houston, Texas 77030
713-500-3200