Education at the Faculty of Dentistry

The Faculty started offering diplomas in each specialty from the 1940s through 1990s. In addition, in 1919, it was the first dental school in Canada to offer a Dental Nursing Program, which ran until 1961. In 1951 they also offered a Dental Hygienist Diploma, and then a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene in 1978. All specialty diplomas were turned into Master of Sciences degrees in the mid-1990s. Below is a timeline of programs at the school compiled from the Faculty of Dentistry Calendars.

1875: The Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (R.C.D.S.O.) opened the first successful dental school in 1875 in Toronto. It was a two-room school at 46 Church Street with 11 students (6). James Branston Willmott (often referred to as the Father of Dental Education in Ontario) was the school’s first Dean. The degree granted was called Licentiate of Dental Surgery (L.D.S.).

1888: The R.C.D.S.O. became affiliated with the University of Toronto, which agreed to confer the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery upon students completing the prescribed course of study (6, 7). However, to practice in Ontario, the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario still regulated the awarding of the licenses. Below is the announcement of the College in the Dominion Dental Journal in Volume 1 (1889), page 29-31, as well as a letter from the Dean of the School, Dr. James Brantson Wilmott, from pages 32-34.

The first page of the Our Canadian College write-up. View a transcription of here.
The second page of the Our Canadian College write-up. View a transcription of here.
The third page of the Our Canadian College write-up. View a transcription of here.
The fourth page of the Our Canadian College write-up. View a transcription of here.
The fifth page of the Our Canadian College write-up. View a transcription of here.
The sixth page of the Our Canadian College write-up. View a transcription of here.

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1889: The first D.D.S. class to graduate from University of Toronto was on April 22, 1889 (8).

The class composite of the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (R.C.D.S.O.) graduating class of 1888-1889. Photo courtesy Jeff Comber.

1919: The Royal College of Dental Surgeons established a one-year Dental Nursing Course for the purpose of training young women to qualify as assistants to dental practitioners. The College awarded the diploma until 1936 when the University of Toronto took over the administration of the diploma (9). 

1920: Harold Keith Box (Class of 1914) became Canada’s first dentist to earn a Ph.D. in Dentistry from U of T. Shortly after, he was appointed to professor and was the first dental professor in Canada to hold an appointment that provided facilities for research (6). There were a few gaps in awarding of Ph.D.s in dentistry, and the next awardees are as follows: F. M. Lott in 1940; R. G. Agnew in 1941; D. A. Deporter in 1974 and W. J. Sinclair in 1975 (10).

1925: The Royal College of Dental Surgeons was renamed the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto and became fully affiliated with the university. From this point forward the curriculum, course exams and the D.D.S. degree were administered and awarded by the university. The Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario continued to administer the licenses to practice in Ontario. The Dental Nursing curriculum was also taken over by the university, but the diploma continued to be awarded by the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario until 1936 (9). 

1927: The Bachelor of Sciences in Dentistry was established on June 8, 1927 (8). First students to gain admission in 1928 were: Drs. E. M. Fisher; A. W. Lindsay; V. M. Lloyd; H. J. Manchester; C. H. M. Williams (10). The Degree of Master of Science in Dentistry was established on April 8, 1927. The first to graduate was Dr. R. G. Agnew in 1934, followed by Dr. A. W. Lindsay and Dr. F. M. Lott in 1936 (10).

1936: The University of Toronto established the diploma for Dental Nursing and administered both the curriculum and the awarding of the diploma (9). 

1944: The diploma in Dental Public Health was established on April 14, 1944. First graduates were in the class of 1946: Drs. H. K. Brown, S. L. Honey; F. A. Kohli; H. R. McLaren (10)

1945: Diplomas in Dental Oral Surgery and Anesthesia; Orthodontics; and Periodontics were established on December 14, 1945. First Graduates were:

Oral Surgery and Anaesthesia: In 1946, Drs. A. Gardiner, A. E. Hobden, D. H. MacDonald (10)
Orthodontics: First half of 1946, E. E. Johns; later in 1946: W. K. Shultis and D. A. Campbell (10)
Periodontology: 1947, D. S. Moore, C. T. Peterson (11)

1949: The diploma in Paedodontics was established on June 22, 1949. First graduates were in 1952: Drs. W. H. Feasby and R. L. Scott (12)

1951: The University of Toronto established a two-year course leading to a certificate in Dental Hygiene. Ten women were allowed to register, but only six students were enrolled in the first year of the course in session 1951-1952 (9). 

1952: The diploma in Dental Nursing was replaced with the certificate of Dental Nursing (9). 

1958: The Faculty of Dentistry established a special division of Dental Research (14). 

1960: The Bachelor of Science in Dentistry with a focus on Dental Anaesthesia was established by faculty member Dr. Robert S. Locke (D.D.S. 1953; M.Sc. in Dental Anaesthesia from University of Pittsburgh, 1956). By 1960, he had developed a strong collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine to establish the first dental anaesthesia program in Canada (15). Dr. Locke was head of the department until his retirement in 1990. First graduate from the B.Sc. D.A. is said to be Dr. William Dover in 1962.

1960: The certificate of Dental Nursing was discontinued (16), the last graduating class was 1961. 

1969: Men were finally allowed to enroll in the Dental Hygienist program (17).  

1975: The Faculty celebrated 100 years of Dental Education. The year was filled celebratory event, lectures and a special Dentantics. Dr. Jack Dale was chairman of the Centennial Committee. He and the members of the committee spent much effort in planning the events of the year. Dr. Jack Dale designed a special logo for the annual celebration that was used in several pamphlets and booklets, and interviewed Dr. George T. Kennedy (D.D.S. 1897) to recount his time at the school from 1894-1897 (18).

The cover of the Centennial celebration programme/booklet. At the top, the title reads "Centennial Festival" and beneath is a stylized Toronto cityscape featuring the CN Tower. Two stick figures dance on a road leading towards the Toronto cityscape. In the bottom left corner is the Centennial celebration logo.
A description of the Centennial celebration logo. The logo is made of the lower case letters 'd' and 'e' with a maple leaf attached to the 'e.' Inside the loop of the 'd' is two figures, one smaller and one larger, kneeling under a stylized oak tree. The smaller figure is holding a seedling. Text under the logo descibes the meaning of the logo. View a transcription here.

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1976: The Dental Hygienist program was discontinued at the University of Toronto as of July 1, 1976. The last class graduated in 1977 (19, 20). 

The Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene began at the University of Toronto for those students who held a diploma in Dental Hygiene from the colleges and wanted to prepare themselves for administrative or academic careers (21). 

1978: The Dental Hygiene program was legislated out of dental schools and into Ontario Colleges, but the faculty continued to play a significant role in providing clinical experience to its students through its clinics. Training dental auxiliaries was important for enriching the school’s clinical services and research opportunities. A Comprehensive Care Unit was established to acquaint students with dental practice management and office teams.

The Faculty of Dentistry is the first institution in Canada to introduce an onsite pharmacy, thus bridging the gap between basic pharmacology and dental therapeutics

1982: The diploma in Prosthodontics was established (22). 

1984: Diplomas in Dental Anesthesia; Oral Pathology; and Oral Radiology were established (23).  

1993: The diploma in Endodontics was established (24). 

1999: The Qualifying Program was started for internationally trained dentists (later renamed International Dentists Advanced Placement Program, or I.D.A.P.P.).

1999: In partnership with the Faculties of Medicine and Applied Science and Engineering, the Faculty of Dentistry formed the multi-disciplinary and collaborative graduate research unit, the Institute of Biomedical Engineering (I.B.M.E.) in 1999 (25). Since its inception, I.B.M.E. has achieved remarkable breakthroughs across a broad spectrum of biomedical research, from 3D tissue and organ printing and stem cell research to rehabilitation and neurological therapies. In 2014, the Institute was awarded $130 million, the largest charitable gift in Canadian history, to establish the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research (26).  

2001: The Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene was discontinued at the University of Toronto (27). The last graduating class was 2004.

2021: The Faculty of Dentistry wins the prestigious Gies Award from the American Dental Education Association (A.D.E.A.). The Gies Awards, which is named after William J. Gies, who wrote the landmark report on dental education nearly a century ago, recognizes individuals and organizations that epitomize the highest standards in oral health and dental education, research and leadership (28).

2025: Dean Daniel Haas was appointed to Order of Canada for his contributions to Dental Anaesthesia education and practice, his dedication and leadership to dental education and as former Dean of our Faculty (29).