Timeline Of Women In Dentistry In America
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

There is a long history of women in dentistry in the United States.


Timeline


19th century

*1855:
Emeline Roberts Jones Emeline Roberts Jones (1836–1916) was the first woman to practice dentistry in the United States. She married the dentist Daniel Jones when she was a teenager (at age 18) but she did not become his assistant until 1855. Her husband believed t ...
became the first woman to practice dentistry in the United States. She married the dentist Daniel Jones when she was a teenager, and became his assistant in 1855. *1866:
Lucy Hobbs Taylor Lucy Hobbs Taylor (March 14, 1833 – October 3, 1910) was an American school teacher and a dentist, known for being the first woman to graduate from dental school (Ohio College of Dental Surgery in 1866). She was originally denied admittance t ...
became the first woman to graduate from a dental college ( Ohio Dental College). *1869:
Henriette Hirschfeld-Tiburtius Henriette Hirschfeld-Tiburtius (14 February 1834 – 25 August 1911) was the first female dentist in Germany. She was born at Sylt, a small island on the west coast of Schleswig-Holstein. However, as there were no dental schools in Germany when s ...
, born in Germany, became the first woman to take a full college course in dentistry, as
Lucy Hobbs Taylor Lucy Hobbs Taylor (March 14, 1833 – October 3, 1910) was an American school teacher and a dentist, known for being the first woman to graduate from dental school (Ohio College of Dental Surgery in 1866). She was originally denied admittance t ...
received credit for her time in dental practice before attending dental college. Henriette graduated from the
Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery The Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery (sometimes referred to informally as the Pennsylvania Dental College) was founded in 1856 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia and was the second oldest operating school of dentistry in the United St ...
in 1869. *1874: Fanny A. Rambarger became the second American woman to earn the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery, which she did in 1874, when she graduated from the
Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery The Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery (sometimes referred to informally as the Pennsylvania Dental College) was founded in 1856 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia and was the second oldest operating school of dentistry in the United St ...
. She worked in Philadelphia and limited her practice to women and children only. *1890: Ida Rollins became the first African-American woman to earn a dental degree in the United States, which she earned from the
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
. *1892: The Women's Dental Association of the U.S. was founded in 1892 by Mary Stillwell-Kuesel with 12 charter members.


20th century

*1904-1905: Faith Sai So Leong, also called Sai So Yeong, born in China, became the first Chinese-American woman to graduate from a school of dentistry and become a dentist in the United States. In 1904 she became the first woman of any race to graduate from the College of Physicians and Surgeons (now the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry). In 1905 she was awarded the Doctor of Dental Surgery from that school, and after a trial of the State Board of Dental Examiners, which delayed the awarding of licenses, she was granted a dental license in August 1905. *1909:
Minnie Evangeline Jordon Minnie Evangeline Jordon (June 22, 1865 – October 10, 1952) was an American dentist, and the first dentist in the United States to specialize in pediatric dentistry. Early life Minnie Evangeline Jordon was born in Fulton County, Illinois, the d ...
established the first dental practice in the United States devoted only to pediatric patients. *1916: Gillette Hayden served as the first female president of the American Academy of Periodontology. *1920: Maude Tanner became the first recorded female delegate to the American Dental Association. *1921: During the annual meeting of the American Dental Association (ADA), several female dentists met in Milwaukee and formed the Federation of American Women Dentists, now known as the
American Association of Women Dentists American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
(AAWD). Their first president was
Minnie Evangeline Jordon Minnie Evangeline Jordon (June 22, 1865 – October 10, 1952) was an American dentist, and the first dentist in the United States to specialize in pediatric dentistry. Early life Minnie Evangeline Jordon was born in Fulton County, Illinois, the d ...
. *1923: Anita Martin became the first woman inducted into the national dental honor society (
Omicron Kappa Upsilon Omicron Kappa Upsilon () is a national honorary society serving the field of dentistry. History The Society originated with the 1914 graduating class of the dental school at Northwestern University in Chicago. The idea for the fraternity came fro ...
). *1925:
Minnie Evangeline Jordon Minnie Evangeline Jordon (June 22, 1865 – October 10, 1952) was an American dentist, and the first dentist in the United States to specialize in pediatric dentistry. Early life Minnie Evangeline Jordon was born in Fulton County, Illinois, the d ...
published the first textbook on
pedodontics Pediatric dentistry (formerly pedodontics in American English or paedodontics in Commonwealth English) is the branch of dentistry dealing with children from birth through adolescence. The specialty of pediatric dentistry is recognized by the Ame ...
, titled ''Operative Dentistry for Children''. *1951: Helen E. Myers of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, a 1941 graduate of Temple University, was commissioned as the
Army Dental Corps An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
' first female dental officer in 1951. *1975: On July 1, 1975,
Jeanne Sinkford Jeanne Craig Sinkford (born 1933) is an American dentist and academic administrator. She was the first female dean of an American dental school. She is a senior scholar in residence at the American Dental Education Association and a professor and d ...
became the first female dean of an American dental school when she was appointed the dean of
Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...
School of Dentistry. *1975:
Jessica Rickert Jessica Ann Rickert became the first female American Indian dentist in America upon graduating with a DDS from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry in 1975. She was one of only six women in a class of 140 students. She is a member of t ...
became the first female American Indian dentist in America upon graduating from the
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
School of Dentistry in 1975. She was a member of the
Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation ( pot, Mshkodéniwek, formerly the Prairie Band of Potawatomi Indians) is a federally recognized tribe of Neshnabé (Potawatomi people), headquartered near Mayetta, Kansas. History The ''Mshkodésik'' ("People of t ...
, and a direct descendant of the Indian chief Wahbememe (Whitepigeon). *1977: The American Association of Dental Schools (founded in 1923 and renamed the
American Dental Education Association The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) is a non-profit organization that works to further the education of dental professionals and the advancement of academic dental programs in Canada and the United States. Founded in 1923 as the Amer ...
in 2000) had
Nancy Goorey Nancy may refer to: Places France * Nancy, France, a city in the northeastern French department of Meurthe-et-Moselle and formerly the capital of the duchy of Lorraine ** Arrondissement of Nancy, surrounding and including the city of Nancy ...
as its first female president in 1977. *1988: The
American Student Dental Association The American Student Dental Association (ASDA) is a national student-run organization that is concerned with the rights, interests, and welfare of dental students. It has the aim of introducing students to lifelong involvement in organized dentist ...
elected its first female president, N. Gail McLaurin of the
Medical University of South Carolina The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) is a public medical school in South Carolina. It opened in 1824 in Charleston as a small private college aimed at training physicians and has since established hospitals and medical facilities ac ...
. *1991:
Geraldine Morrow Geraldine may refer to: People * Geraldine (name), the feminine form of the first name Gerald, with list of people thus named. * The Geraldines, Irish dynasty descended from the Anglo-Norman Gerald FitzWalter de Windsor * Geraldine of Albania, th ...
became the first female president of the American Dental Association. *1993: Juliann Bluitt Foster became the first female president of the
American College of Dentists American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
. *1997: Hazel J. Harper became the first female president of the
National Dental Association The National Dental Association (NDA) is a professional association of Minority group, minority dentists based in Washington, D.C., and operating in the United States, Canada and Latin America. Formed in 1913, it is the largest such association in ...
.


21st century

*2001: Marjorie Jeffcoat became the first female editor of The Journal of the American Dental Association. *2003: Rear Admiral
Carol I. Turner Rear Admiral Carol Irene Baker Turner (born 1947) is a retired United States Navy officer who served as the first female chief of the United States Navy Dental Corps from 2003 to 2007. She also served as the commanding officer of the National Nava ...
became the first female Chief of the
Navy Dental Corps The Dental Corps of the United States Navy consists of naval officers who have a doctorate in either dental surgery (DDS) or dental medicine (DMD) and who practice dentistry for Sailors and Marines to ensure optimal oral health. The U.S. Navy De ...
. *2004: Sandra Madison, of Asheville, North Carolina, was elected as the first female president of the
American Association of Endodontists The American Association of Endodontists, or AAE, is a not-for-profit organization of endodontists and other professionals with an interest in endodontics founded in 1943. The current Board of Directors is published on the Association'website H ...
. *2004: Janet Hatcher Rice became the first female president of the Academy of Laser Dentistry. *2007: Kaumudi Joshipura became the NIH endowed chair and director of the center for clinical research and health promotion at
University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus The University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus — Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Ciencias Médicas (UPR-RCM) in Spanish— is a public health sciences-oriented university in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is part of the Univ ...
. *2007:
Laura Kelly Laura Jeanne Kelly (born January 24, 1950)"Laura Kelly,"
''Kansapedia,''
became the first female president of the
American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry The American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD), founded in December 1984 by Jack Kammer and Jeff Morley of San Francisco, is the world's largest organization for cosmetic dental professionals. As of 2001, the Academy had membership from 40 di ...
. *2008: Beverly Largent, a pediatric dentist from Paducah, Ky., became the first female president of the
American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
. *2008: Valerie Murrah became the first female president of the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. *2009: Kathleen T. O'Loughlin was chosen as the first female executive director of the American Dental Association. *2011: Ruth Bol, a Comanche woman, became the first female president of the Society of American Indian Dentists. *2013: Gayle Glenn was elected as the first female president of the
American Association of Orthodontists Founded in 1900, the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) is the world's oldest and largest dental specialty organization. It represents nearly 19,000 orthodontist members throughout the United States, Canada and abroad. All orthodontists are ...
.


See also

*
Dental service organizations Dental Service Organizations, known in the industry as "Dental Support Organizations" or abbreviated to DSOs, are independent business support centers that contract with dental practices in the United States. They provide business management and s ...
* List of first women dentists by country * Women in dentistry


References

{{Reflist, 40em American dentists * Dentistry in the United States History of women in the United States History of medicine in the United States Women in dentistry dentistry usa History of dentistry Dentistry