Salute - Magazines of the Schools at UT Health San Antonio

Salute Magazine

Salute is the official magazine for the alumni and friends of the School of Dentistry at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Read and share inspiring stories highlighting our dental alumni, faculty and students who are revolutionizing education, research, patient care and critical services in the communities they serve.

Featured Stories

Man in blue suit sits on a concrete ledge in an outdoor courtyard.

Dean’s message

"Friends, there is so much to be excited about in the coming years, and so much to be proud of in the UT Health San Antonio School of Dentistry." - Dean Peter M. Loomer

Dental provider with black hair in a white lab coat fist bumps an African American patient sitting in the dental chair.

Oral medicine: Two disciplines, one purpose

In 2020, the American Dental Association officially recognized oral medicine as the 11th dental specialty, but for more than 75 years, oral medicinists like David Ojeda Diaz, DDS, have been bridging the practice of medicine and dentistry.

A head start in public health

Dental and dental hygiene students support access to oral health care through a required rotation with the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District’s Oral Health Program, which provides a glimpse at a career in public health.

A dental student in green scrubs wears a face mask, dental loupes and gloves while practicing her clinical hand skills on a manikin. Her instructor, in a white lab coat, sits to her right.

Broader connections for border care

Faculty and students will be providing community health workers with oral health education tailored to the individuals they serve along the Texas border.

Brunette dental alumna smiles at the camera while posing with her hands in her pockets. She is wearing a burgundy top with a black blazer.

Meeting the need

Class of 2010 alumna, Christina Meiners, DDS, FICD, recounts her journey to becoming a dentist, explains her passion for outreach and advocacy for more underrepresented minorities within the dental professions.

Scientist in a white lab coat looks through his microscope.

‘Who cares about teeth?’

With several awards from top organizations in the field, a publication of findings from a global study and three major multimillion-dollar NIH grants under his belt, periodontics researcher Georgios A. Kotsakis, DDS, MS, advocates for oral health and global impact.