The Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, (founded February 1, 1840), is the birthplace of the Doctor of Dental Surgery degree (D.D.S.), and is known as the first dental college in the world.

History

The Baltimore College of Dental Surgery (BCDS),was chartered by an act of the Maryland General Assembly

Maryland General Assembly

The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is a bicameral body. The upper chamber, the Maryland State Senate, has 47 representatives and the lower chamber, the Maryland House of Delegates, has 141 representatives...

 in 1840. Its co-founders, Drs. Horace H. Hayden and Chapin A. Harris

Chapin A. Harris

Chapin Aaron Harris A.M., M.D., D.D.S. was an American physician and dentist and dentistry school founder.-Education:...

 have been both inducted in the Pierre Fauchard

Pierre Fauchard

Pierre Fauchard was a significant French physician, credited as being the "father of modern dentistry". He is widely known for his book, Le chirurgien dentiste, "The Surgeon Dentist" 1728, where he described the basic oral anatomy and function, signs and symptoms of oral pathology, operative...

 Academy Hall of Fame. Dr. Harris was the school's first dean and a professor of practical dentistry. Following the death of Dr. Hayden on January 25, 1844, he became the school second president. The College is still in existence today and is part of the University of Maryland, Baltimore

University of Maryland, Baltimore

University of Maryland, Baltimore, was founded in 1807. It comprises some of the oldest professional schools in the nation and world. It is the original campus of the University System of Maryland. Located on 60 acres in downtown Baltimore, Maryland, it is part of the University System of Maryland...

.

The establishment of the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery is seen as one of the three crucial steps in the foundation of the dental profession in the United States. " A true profession is built upon a tripod: a formal organization, formal professional education, and a formal scientific literature. The United States was the leader in all three. In 1839-40, the American Society of Dental Surgeons was organized, the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery was established, and the first dental journal in the world, the American Journal of Dental Science, was founded. At that time there were only about three hundred trained and scientific dentists in the entire country; the rest were relatively untrained operators, outright quacks, or charlatans. In 1898, a list of the first subscribers to the first journal was discovered and published by G.V. Black. These initial subscribers may be considered the core group of truly professional American dentists. They became the leaders of the newly born profession of dentistry. "

Today, BCDS enjoys one of the most advanced dental education facilities in the world. The new 12-story building in downtown Baltimore was completed in October 2006. The total cost for the establishment amounted to over $140 million, the highest spent on an academic building by the State of Maryland.

External links

• Official site- Baltimore College of Dental Surgery -Dental School
• University of Maryland- Official University website
• Yearbooks from 1901-1989