Bridging Oral Care
Texas Tech Health El Paso Addresses Critical Oral Health Disparities with New Program and $400,000 Award
Borderland Dental Leaders: Building Bridges is one of only 15 programs to receive the award from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
With critical oral health disparities rising in El Paso County, Texas Tech Health El Paso is launching Borderland Dental Leaders: Building Bridges program with a $400,000 grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
Alyssa C. Benavides, Ph.D., co-principal investigator of the program, said Borderland Dental Leaders “will support the Hunt School of Dental Medicine’s efforts to recruit regionally rooted students who understand the unique lived experiences of the patients they'll serve. By growing our own, we’re nurturing a generation of providers who reflect and uplift the communities they come from.”
Texas Tech Health El Paso is one of 15 institutions to receive the award from the 2025-2027 Minority Health Research and Education Grant Program Cycle.
The U.S.-Mexico border region contains over 5,800 dental health professional shortage areas (DHPSAs), with El Paso County having a provider-to-population ratio of only one dentist for every 5,000 individuals. More than 60% of children in El Paso County suffer from dental issues (20% higher than the national average), while more than half of residents don't regularly visit a dentist.
The program will help addresses these critical oral health disparities in three ways: By creating an educational pipeline from high school graduation through dental school, conducting research on vaping’s effects on oral health, and delivering bilingual community health education to over 3,000 students.
“Texas Tech Health is pleased to receive this grant in support of health interactions within our Borderplex and the West Texas communities,” said Wendy Woodall, D.D.S., executive associate dean of the Hunt School of Dental Medicine. “Using screening and education tools, we are addressing the systemic health implications of vaping use in youth. With the assistance of faculty and students in this endeavor, our education, research and clinical health care mission is positioned to impact the health of the region for the coming decades.”
Under the leadership of principal investigator Christiane Herber-Valdez, Ph.D., and Dr. Benavides, local high school students will gain access to a dental career pathway that mentors them from graduation through their undergraduate years, through their dental school application and beyond. By growing our own local talent, the program builds a lasting pipeline of providers who reflect the needs of our Borderplex region.
Eligible area high schoolers will receive oral health screenings from dental faculty and students for vaping-related damage. Also, thousands of families will benefit from bilingual health education delivered by faculty, students and community health workers from the Office of Interprofessional Education, Community Health Outreach and Education at Texas Tech Health El Paso.
“Most importantly, because approximately 75% of dental school graduates practice within the community where they trained, we're investing in future practitioners who will stay, serve and understand the community members who need them most,” Dr. Herber-Valdez said.
At Texas Tech Health since 2014, Dr. Herber-Valdez has more than 20 years of experience in regional accreditation, institutional research and effectiveness, and higher education degree and pathway development. Dr. Benavides has nearly 20 years of experience—12 years at Texas Tech Health El Paso—successfully implementing large-scale, cross-agency projects that positively impact health in Texas communities.
“As leaders of a health sciences center serving a significantly medically underserved border region, we recognize that sustainable solutions to health care disparities require us to think beyond traditional models and address root causes simultaneously,” Dr. Benavides said. “This program reflects our institutional commitment to building health access through community-engaged education, research that directly serves our population's needs, and workforce development that creates lasting infrastructure rather than temporary interventions.”
About Texas Tech Health El Paso
Texas Tech Health El Paso serves 108 counties in West Texas and is dedicated to preparing the next generation of health care heroes. Established as an independent university in 2013, Texas Tech Health El Paso is a uniquely innovative destination for medical, nursing, biomedical sciences and dental education.
Focusing on excellence in health care education, research, and clinical service, Texas Tech Health El Paso has graduated over 2,600 professionals since 2013, including its first cohort of dental graduates in 2025. For more information, visit ttuhscepimpact.org.