The Royal Dental Hospital was a dental hospital in

Leicester Square Leicester Square ( ) is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. It was laid out in 1670 as Leicester Fields, which was named after the recently built Leicester House, itself named after Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester ...

, London, which operated from 1858 until 1985. In 1859, it opened the London School of Dental Surgery, later renamed to the Royal Dental Hospital of London School of Dental Surgery, which was the first dental school in Britain. When the hospital closed, the building was redeveloped as the Hampshire Hotel.

History

The hospital was opened on 1 December 1858 as the Dental Hospital of London by the Odontological Society of London. The Odontological Society of London, founded in 1856, was one of the two main dental societies in mid nineteenth-century Britain and supported inclusion of dentistry in surgery. The rival College of Dentists of England, founded in the same year, supported a separate dental profession. In 1857 the Odontological Society petitioned Parliament to allow the

Royal College of Surgeons of England The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) is an independent professional body and registered charity that promotes and advances standards of surgical care for patients, and regulates surgery and dentistry in England and Wales. The ...

to conduct dental examinations and a clause was included in the

Medical Act 1858 The Medical Act (21 & 22 Vict c 90), ''An Act to Regulate the Qualifications of Practitioners in Medicine and Surgery'', also referred to as the Medical Act 1858, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which created the General Medical ...

to allow this by granting a new charter to the college. The Royal College of Surgeons was given a new charter in 1859 and introduced a dental qualification, the Licentiate in Dental Surgery in 1860. The College of Dentists founded their National Dental Hospital in

Tottenham Court Road Tottenham Court Road (occasionally abbreviated as TCR) is a major road in Central London, almost entirely within the London Borough of Camden. The road runs from Euston Road in the north to St Giles Circus in the south; Tottenham Court Road tub ...

in 1861. The two societies merged in 1863 to form the Odontological Society of Great Britain and joined the

Royal Society of Medicine The Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) is a medical society in the United Kingdom, headquartered in London. History The Society was established in 1805 as Medical and Chirurgical Society of London, meeting in two rooms in barristers’ chambers ...

as its Odontological Section in 1907. The hospital was initially based at 22

Soho Square Soho Square is a garden square in Soho, London, hosting since 1954 a ''de facto'' public park let by the Soho Square Garden Committee to Westminster City Council. It was originally called King Square after Charles II, and a much weathered s ...

. It opened the first dental school in Britain, the London School of Dental Surgery, on 1 October 1859. Four days later, the College of Dentists founded their own Metropolitan School of Dental Science. In 1874 the hospital moved to 40–41

and in 1901 to a newly built larger building designed by the architects

Young and Hall Keith Downes Young (12 September 1848 - 1 December 1929) was an English architect best known for designing hospitals and school sanatoria. Biography Young was born in King's Road, Richmond, Surrey on 12 September 1848. He attended Tonbridge Sc ...

at 31–36 Leicester Square. In the same year, King Edward VII awarded the title of Royal Dental Hospital. The cost of the new building was funded by loans which were not repaid until 1930. The dental school was recognised as a school of the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

in 1911. At first the school only admitted men, but it agreed to admit women in 1915. The decision was reversed between 1933 and 1939. In 1948 the hospital became part of the St George's Hospital Group under the National Health Act. In the mid-1980s the dental services transferred to

St George's Hospital St George's Hospital is a large teaching hospital in Tooting, London. Founded in 1733, it is one of the UK's largest teaching hospitals and one of the largest hospitals in Europe. It is run by the St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundatio ...

Tooting Tooting is a district in South London, forming part of the London Borough of Wandsworth and partly in the London Borough of Merton. It is located south south-west of Charing Cross. History Tooting has been settled since pre- Saxon times ...

, and the dental school was merged with the

United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals The United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals was the name given to the joint medical and dental school formed in London as a result of the merger of Guy's Hospital Medical School, St Thomas's Hospital Medical School an ...

. The hospital closed in 1985 and the building was redeveloped as the Hampshire Hotel. In 2022 City of Westminster Council decided to put up a plaque at the hotel to commemorate the hospital and medical school.

References

{{reflist Defunct hospitals in London Leicester Square Hospitals established in 1858 1858 establishments in England Hospitals disestablished in 1985 1985 disestablishments in England Dental schools in England Teaching hospitals in London Dental hospitals