Dentantics

Dentantics is the name given to an annual theatre show directed and written by the Faculty of Dentistry undergraduate students enrolled in the Doctor of Dental Surgery program. Members of other programs at Dentistry, staff and faculty have also taken part over the years. The first edition of Dentantics was held in 1921 and it was directed by Dr. Gordon Agnew (D.D.S. 1922). Several alumni have written about Dentantics over the years. Dr. W. H. Feasby writes about the origin of Dentantics in the 1942 U of T Dentistry yearbook (1). It began with Dr. Agnew in 1921. Dr. Agnew was a graduate of Victoria College in the University of Toronto, and through his undergraduate years had been very active with VicBob (the show held annually by Victoria College students). He brought his love for show production to the Faculty of Dentistry and started Dentantics. However, he gave credit for the naming of Dentantics to Cal Foote (2).

Traditionally there was one director and one producer from the third year of the D.D.S. program. However, the show, being a significant undertaking, changed over the years to have two co-directors. The following page contains a list of all the known Dentantics from inception to present (2025). There seems to be some confusion in various sources regarding the names of directors and some of the years. This list was compiled from the Dentantics programs, which are held at the library (though we do not have a full set of programs, unfortunately) and the corresponding yearbooks from each year. If you have a Dentantics program at home that you are ready to part with, the library will gladly accept it as a donation.

The most comprehensive story about the history of Dentantics was written in 1975 by Dr. Jack Dale (D.D.S. 1958), a former instructor, Museum curator, and dental history enthusiast (2). Dr. Dale wrote this story as one of many historical pieces to commemorate 100 years of school in 1975. A follow up article was also written recently in UT Magazine (3).

Cover of the 1923 Dentantics program. A cartoon of a dentist with his back to the viewer treating a patient who is clutching the dental chair's armrests with legs twisted together impossibly to humorously indicate pain.
Cover of the 1925 Dentantics program. A drawing of a person wearing a jester hat.
Cover of the 1938 Dentantics program. A drawing of a grinning, staring skull and a skeleton hand holding a dental instrument.
Cover of the 1956 Dentantics program. A cartoon flapper smiles, her eyes covered by the word "Dentantics.
Cover of the 1984 Dentantics program. Comedy and tragedy masks are in the middle of the page. The comedy mask is smiling with a full set of teeth, while the tragedy mask is missing all but two teeth.
Cover of the 1989 Dentantics program. Six teeth dressed as showgirls, with top hats, bowties, tuxedo jackets, fishnets, and heels, stand with their legs about to kick under a promenade reading "Dentistry presents Dentantics '89."
Cover of the Dentantics 1996 program (titled Licence to Drill). A James Bond parody image in which a cartoon tooth wearing a suit stands in the middle of the page. The image is viewed as if from inside of a rifled gun barrel as blood drips down the page.
Cover of the Dentantics 2003 program (titled The Wizard of Flozz). A photo of four people, dressed as the Scarecrow, Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, and the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz posing and looking at the camera.
Cover of the Dentantics 2016 program (titled Plaque to the Future). "Plaque to the Future" is written in the Back to the Future title font against a crackling electricity background.
Cover of the 2002 Dentantics program (titled "The Golden Crown Awards). A photo of a woman wearing sunglasses and a strapless dress, holding an award and speaking into a microphone with another woman looking on in the background.
Cover of the 2007 Dentantics program (titled "The Demo Wears Prada"). A parody of the Devil Wears Prada movie poster, the title of the show is to the right of a red high heel with a bent heel.
Cover of the 2010 Dentantics program (tited "Dentalmania"). A parody of the famous image of the Beatles crossing the road, there is a silhouette drawing of four people walking across a crosswalk, with a sign labelling the road they are crossing as "Edward Street."
Cover of the 2013 Dentantics program (titled "Dentists Got Talent"). A silhouette drawing of a woman standing in front of a spotlight with hair mid-flip.
Cover of the 2017 Dentantics program (titled "Dentanflix"). The title is written in the Netflix font against a red background.

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