Gillette Hayden (1880-1929) was a pioneering dentist and periodontist in the early 20th century. She was a founder of the American Academy of Periodontology and served as the first female President of the organization in 1916.

Early life and education

Gillette Hayden was born on March 2, 1880, in Greenville, Florida. Her family later relocated to

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451–1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, the capital city of the U.S. state of Ohio * Columbus, Georgia, a city i ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

where she graduated valedictorian from East High School. Hayden graduated from the Ohio Medical University, which later became the

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

College of Dentistry, in 1902. She was the third woman to graduate from the Ohio Medical University.

Career

After graduating in 1902, she took graduate work at

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

through 1903, which led to her specialization in periodontology. After practicing in Columbus for a time, she then went to

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

, Germany as assistant court dentist. She was there for two years of study and practice, introducing methods and treatment of

periodontal disease Periodontal disease, also known as gum disease, is a set of inflammatory conditions affecting the tissues surrounding the teeth. In its early stage, called gingivitis, the gums become swollen and red and may bleed. It is considered the main c ...

s. Returning in 1908, Dr. Hayden began exclusively practicing

periodontology Periodontology or periodontics (from Ancient Greek , – 'around'; and , – 'tooth', genitive , ) is the Specialty (dentistry), specialty of dentistry that studies supporting structures of Tooth, teeth, as well as diseases and conditions th ...

with the philosophy that care and treatment of gums is as important as caring for teeth. Her office was located at 289 East State Street which was designed by her sister Florence Kenyon Hayden Rector.

Leadership of dental associations

In 1914, she cofounded the American Academy of Periodontology with Dr. Grace Rogers Spalding to help educate dentists about periodontal diseases and their treatment. In 1916, she became president of the association and served almost continuously on the executive council until her death. Dr. Hayden served as the third President of the American Association of Women Dentists. The AAWD has established the Gillette Hayden Memorial Fund to aid promising women dental students. She also served as the President of the Federation of American Women Dentists in 1924.

The Journal of Periodontology

The Journal of Periodontology is dedicated to Dr. Hayden. According to the July 1933 Journal, "The Journal of Periodontology is lovingly dedicated to the memory of Doctor Gillette Hayden. Her selfless devotion and untiring efforts in behalf of periodontia and the American Academy of Periodontology, have served as an inspiration to her close associates which can only be consummated by carrying onward the work for which she spent her life."

Suffragist activities

In addition to her achievements in the field of dentistry, Dr. Hayden also maintained an active political life as well, serving as an active suffragist. She was affiliated with the

National Woman's Party The National Woman's Party (NWP) was an American women's political organization formed in 1916 to fight for women's suffrage. After achieving this goal with the 1920 adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, the NWP ...

. Dr. Hayden was the national President of

Altrusa International, Inc Altrusa International, Inc (Altrusa) is an international non-profit organization focused on community service. It was founded in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1917 by Dr. Alfred Durham as a chain of national clubs for business and professional women. H ...

from 1924 to 1925.

Personal life

Her sister, Florence Kenyon Hayden Rector, was the first licensed female architect in the state of Ohio and also attended Ohio State University. Dr. Hayden officed at 289 East State street, in the Rector building designed by her sister. Dr. Hayden's great-grandfather was Dr.

Horace H. Hayden Horace Henry Hayden D.D.S. (October 13, 1769 – January 25, 1844) was the first licensed American dentist and dentistry school founder. Education Hayden was born in Windsor, Connecticut. After working as a cabin boy, architect and schoolteac ...

, a dentist in the early part of the 19th century. In 1840, Dr. Horace H. Hayden was one of the two founders of the first chartered dental college in the world, the Baltimore School of Dental Surgery, now known as the Dental College of the University of Maryland.

Death and legacy

Hayden died in 1929 in

at age 49 at her home after an operation. The AAWD established the Gillette Hayden Memorial Foundation in 1930 to help support the future of women dentist leadership.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hayden, Gillette 1880 births 1929 deaths Northwestern University Dental School alumni Ohio State University College of Dentistry alumni Periodontists 20th-century American dentists American women dentists