TX HR1327

Forty students graduated on May 19, 2025, with doctor of dental medicine degrees as the inaugural class of the Hunt School of Dental Medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in El Paso

The Hunt School of Dental Medicine, established in 2021, is the first new dental school in Texas in over 50 years, created to address the dentist shortage in far West Texas

Approximately 18% of graduates are El Paso residents, and an estimated 43% are expected to practice dentistry in West Texas

Students gained extensive hands-on experience, spending about 3,500 hours in the clinic with over 900 hours performing procedures; the clinic has provided more than 6,000 low-cost procedures to the El Paso community

The graduating class achieved a 100% board exam pass rate, with each student also earning a community health certificate worth 15 hours toward a master of public health degree