The Washington University School of Dental Medicine (WUSDM) was the

dental school A dental school (school of dental medicine, school of dentistry, dental college) is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches dental medicine to prospective dentists and potentially other dental auxiliaries ...

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

. It operated from 1866 to 1991. Over 5,000 dentists were educated at WUSDM. WUSDM was a pioneer in the practice of scientific dental education previously absent in the dental profession. The school was founded by the Missouri State Dental Society and dentist Henry E. Peebles as the Missouri Dental College in 1866. The first dean of the school was Homer Judd. It is the first dental school west of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

and only the sixth dental school in the U.S. In 1892 the Missouri Dental College merged with Washington University in St. Louis, becoming the Dental Department of Washington University. In 1908 the first woman was admitted to study at the university. In 1928, Washington University School of Dental Medicine relocated to 4559 Scott Avenue at the Washington University School of Medicine campus. In 1958 the University launched the

Baby Tooth Survey The Baby Tooth Survey was initiated by the Greater St. Louis Citizens' Committee for Nuclear Information in conjunction with Saint Louis University and the Washington University School of Dental Medicine as a means of determining the effects of nuc ...

, led by Dr.

Louise Reiss Louise Marie Zibold Reiss (February 23, 1920 – January 1, 2011) was an American physician who coordinated what became known as the Baby Tooth Survey, in which deciduous teeth from children living in the St. Louis, Missouri, area who were bor ...

and with funding from the Greater St. Louis Citizen's Committee for Nuclear Information (CNI), which studied

strontium-90 Strontium-90 () is a radioactive isotope of strontium produced by nuclear fission, with a half-life of 28.8 years. It undergoes β− decay into yttrium-90, with a decay energy of 0.546 MeV. Strontium-90 has applications in medicine and ...

absorption of children by examining their deciduous teeth.Hevesi, Dennis
"Dr. Louise Reiss, Who Helped Ban Atomic Testing, Dies at 90"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', January 10, 2011. Accessed January 10, 2011. During the 1970s the University began an experimental three-year DMD curriculum. In 1989 Wash U's Board of Trustees voted to close the School of Dental Medicine. The board said that the decision was based upon budget deficits, increasing tuition rates, competition from less-expensive state-funded dental schools, limited outside funding, and a declining student enrollment. By 1991 the Dental School graduated its 125th and final class.

History

*1866–1892 Missouri Dental College *1892–1909 Dental Department of Washington University *1909–1919 Washington University Dental School *1919–1974 Washington University School of Dentistry *1974–1991 Washington University School of Dental Medicine

Notable alumni

* Charles J. Burstone * Thomas M. Graber * Wayne A. Bolton , Class of 1950 * Benno Lischer, Class of 1900 * Earl Emanuel Shepard * Thomas Lewis Gilmer, Class of 1882 * Robert J. Gorlin *

Mike Simpson Michael Keith Simpson (born September 8, 1950) is an American politician and former dentist serving as the U.S. representative for since 1999. The district covers most of the eastern portion of the state, including Idaho Falls, Pocatello, S ...

, Class of 1977, U.S. Representative from

Idaho's 2nd congressional district Idaho's 2nd congressional district is one of two congressional districts in the U.S. state of Idaho, in the eastern portion of the state. Beginning with the 2012 election, the district expanded westward and now includes most of Boise, the state ...

since 1999

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Washington University School Of Dental Medicine Washington University in St. Louis Dental schools in Missouri Educational institutions established in 1866 1866 establishments in Missouri