The Georgetown University School of Dentistry 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 auxiliari ...

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

, located in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

The school was established in 1901 as a department of the

School of Medicine A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, professional school, or forms a part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, ...

and became a standalone school within the university in 1956. In 1987, the school stopped accepting new students and it graduated its last class in 1990.

History

Origins

The dental program was formed in 1901, during the presidency of Jerome Daugherty, with the acquisition by Georgetown of the Washington Dental College and the Hospital of Oral Surgery on Massachusetts Avenue. The Washington Dental College was incorporated into the

as the dental department. There were initially five faculty chairs of: techniques and orthodontia; dental

histology Histology, also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology that studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissue (biology), tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at large ...

and

pathology Pathology is the study of disease. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatme ...

; operative dentistry; oral surgery; and prosthetic dentistry. Dr. William N. Cogan was elected as the school's first dean. In 1920, the first

X-ray machine An X-ray machine is a device that uses X-rays for a variety of applications including medicine, X-ray fluorescence, electronic assembly inspection, and measurement of material thickness in manufacturing operations. In medical applications, X-ra ...

was installed in the dental department. The dental department was first housed at 920 H Street,

Northwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A '' compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west— ...

, in an annex to the medical school's building. Two-thirds of the cost of this $5,000 addition was absorbed by the dental faculty while the remaining third was paid by the medical faculty. The department then moved onto the main campus with the completion of the Medical-Dental Building on Reservoir Road in 1930, facilitating growth of both the medical and dental components.

Independence

In the aftermath of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the dental department saw rapid growth, with many veterans enrolling under the

G.I. Bill The G.I. Bill, formally the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I. (military), G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in ...

. In 1951, fifty years after the founding of Georgetown's dental program, the School of Dentistry was established as its own school within Georgetown University. A Naval Reserve Dental Unit was created to study dentistry as performed in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

, the first of its kind in the country. Through the 1960s, the School of Dentistry proactively recruited female students. Women were previously only admitted into the dental hygiene program, which trained them to become

dental assistant Dental assistants are members of the dental team. They support a dental operator (such as a dentist or other treating dental auxiliary) in providing more efficient dentistry, dental treatment. ''Dental assistants'' are distinguished from other gr ...

s. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the School of Dentistry operated several

clinic A clinic (or outpatient clinic or ambulatory care clinic) is a health facility that is primarily focused on the care of outpatients. Clinics can be privately operated or publicly managed and funded. They typically cover the primary care needs ...

s that provided free dental care to patients. The Community Dentistry Programs sent dental students into the schools and communities of Washington, D.C. to render dental care. Students could also

study abroad International students or exchange students, also known as foreign students, are students who undertake all or part of their secondary or tertiary education in a country other than their own. In 2022, there were over 6.9 million international ...

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

to study foreign dental clinical care.

Closure

By the late 1980s, a variety of factors had forced dental schools across the United States to close, and many others were downsizing.

Price Waterhouse PricewaterhouseCoopers, also known as PwC, is a multinational professional services network based in London, United Kingdom. It is the second-largest professional services network in the world and is one of the Big Four accounting firms, along ...

determined that by 1992, the Georgetown University School of Dentistry would be operated an annual $3.6 million deficit. A number of causes were put forth, including: a decreased demand for dental care due to advances in technology and the widespread public adoption of

fluoridation Water fluoridation is the controlled addition of fluoride to public water supplies to reduce tooth decay. Fluoridated water maintains fluoride levels effective for cavity prevention, achieved naturally or through supplementation. In the mou ...

, an excess in the number of practicing dentists relative to the size of the population, the rising cost of

tuition Tuition may refer to: *Formal education, education within a structured institutional framework *Tutoring, private academic help *Tuition payments Tuition payments, usually known as tuition in American English and as tuition fees in Commonwealth ...

, and increasing numbers of prospective dental students seeking to attend

medical school A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, professional school, or forms a part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, ...

, leading to sharply declining dental school enrollment. On March 19, 1987, the Georgetown University Board of Directors voted unanimously to cease the operation of the school. At the time, the school had 570 students enrolled. The School of Dentistry was disbanded three years later, graduating its last class in 1990. Students and faculty who were upset that the school did not consult them before making the decision to close filed a lawsuit in the District of Columbia Superior Court. The school's closure also prompted a

congressional A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ad ...

hearing. At the time of its closure, the School of Dentistry was the second largest dental school in the United States behind the

New York University College of Dentistry The New York University College of Dentistry is the dentistry school of New York University. As the third oldest dentistry school in the United States, it offers both graduate programs and clinical training in oral healthcare. History The College ...

. It was also one of only twelve dental schools in the country not to receive federal aid, and had one of the highest costs of tuition at $15,000. In total, the school graduated approximately 4,100 alumni.

List of deans

References

Citations

Sources

* * * {{Authority control Dental schools in Washington, D.C. Georgetown University School of Dentistry Universities and colleges established in 1901

Dentistry Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the Human tooth, teeth, gums, and Human mouth, mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, dis ...

Georgetown University Medical Center 1901 establishments in Washington, D.C. Educational institutions disestablished in 1990