The Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (RCDSO) is the

regulatory college Regulatory colleges are legal entities in Canada charged with serving the public interest by regulating the practice of a profession. They function as professional associations that are state-sanctioned to regulate the practice of their profession ...

for

dentist A dentist, also known as a dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry (the diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the mouth, oral cavity and other aspects of the craniofaci ...

s in the province of

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. The college was incorporated on March 4, 1868, when

royal assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in other ...

was granted to ''An Act Respecting Dentistry'' in the

Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA, french: Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by ...

Dental hygienist A dental hygienist or oral hygienist is a licensed dental professional, registered with a dental association or regulatory body within their country of practice. Prior to completing clinical and written board examinations, registered dental hygien ...

s are separately regulated by the

College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...

History

Barnabas Day organized the Dental Association of Ontario (ODA) in 1867. In 1868 the ODA lobbied the Ontario government to pass the ''Act Respecting Dentistry'', by which the dentists must be licensed in order to practice. This aimed to end tooth pulling by untrained fly-by-night charlatans. The Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (RCDSO) was formed by ODA members to act as the governing body. In 1869 the RCDSO opened the first dental school in Canada. In 1893

Caroline Louise Josephine Wells Caroline Louise Josephine Wells (August 1856 – 17 March 1939) was the first professionally qualified female dentist in Ontario, Canada. She was also the first person to provide dental services in mental hospitals in Ontario, and towards the end o ...

became the first woman to graduate from the RCDSO, which made her the first Canadian woman to graduate from any dental school.

References

Sources

* * * Dental organizations based in Canada Professional associations based in Ontario 1868 establishments in Ontario Royal colleges

Organizations based in Toronto {{Canada-university-stub