17 August 2026

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Bits and Bites – August 2026

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Liang Hong, head of public health sciences, recently shared that more than 10,000 people received oral health education from A&M Dentistry students and faculty during the 2025-26 school year.

Community impact

Dr. Liang Hong, head of public health sciences, recently shared that more than 10,000 people received oral health education from A&M Dentistry students and faculty during the 2025-26 school year. There were 480 dental screenings conducted at oral health fairs.

“One of the most important lessons in dental education is that dentistry does not exist only within the walls of a clinic,” he told students, faculty, staff and guests at a recent award ceremony on campus. “Oral health is connected to dignity, confidence, school readiness, employability, nutrition, family well-being and overall health. When we bring oral health education, prevention, screening and treatment to the community, we help close gaps that many underserved families experience every day.”

Dr. Fabricio Teixeira, head of endodontics, recently contributed to the American Association of Endodontics’ recommended guidelines for the treatment of traumatic dental injuries.

Why it matters

Several students traveled in June to College Station to attend the 2026 School to Scrubs Rural Med Symposium. The annual event was for high school students interested in dentistry, medicine and other health related careers.

It was hosted by Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine at Texas A&M University.

Dental student Heydi Vanegas was recently named a Global Content Provider Student to Watch by Incisal Edge magazine for her two social media sites. Her sites document dental school life through the thoughts of a young woman living in a city.

Texas Academy of General Dentistry recently revealed Dr. Clara D. Griffey of Waco is Fort Worth Academy of General Dentistry’s nominee for 2026 New Dentist of the Year. Griffey, a 2019 A&M Dentistry graduate and the owner of Keep Smiling Waco, is one of nine nominees. The winner will be announced Sept. 18 at the preparty festivities for Texas AGD’s Texas Academy Awards in Austin.

Academic context

“The New Dentist of the Year nominees represent the future of our profession,” stated Dr. Jon Dossett, Texas AGD president, in a press release. “Through leadership, lifelong learning, service and a commitment to excellence, these outstanding young dentists are already making a meaningful impact on their patients, their communities and organized dentistry.”

Griffey earned Fellowship in the Academy of General Dentistry in 2024 for her commitment to education and lifelong learning. She’s president of Central Texas Dental Society, and Griffey has also served as a delegate to Texas Dental Association House of Delegates and is a member of Texas AGD Membership Committee.

Griffey has more than 500 hours of continuing education and advanced training in implant dentistry and restorative care. She’s involved in planning the 2027 Texas Mission of Mercy event in Waco, helping expand access to dental care for underserved Texans.

Dr. Georgia Mitchell of Plainview is South Plains District Dental Society’s nominee. She earned a master’s from A&M Dentistry before going on to earn a dental degree in 2022 from Roseman University of Dental Medicine in South Jordan, Utah.

Dr. Anthony L. Jaramillo of Boerne is the nominee of San Antonio Academy of General Dentistry. In a recent story by UT Health San Antonio School of Dentistry, Jaramillo said he attended a Summer Pre-Dentistry Enrichment Programs course at A&M Dentistry in 2015 before graduating magna cum laude from UT Health San Antonio in 2021.

He’s president of San Antonio AGD and a partner at All Smiles Dental Center in San Antonio.

Source: https://insights.dentistry.tamu.edu/bits-and-bites-august-2026