March 8 is International Women’s Day, making it a great time to commemorate all the contributions women have made to dental science. In 1898, Emma Gaudreau Casgrain became the first female licensed dentist in Canada, and today, many dentists guess that roughly half of their graduating class is made up of women. While dentistry was once a male-dominated field, female dentists have made great strides in the advancement of dentistry and the amelioration of dental distress. Here’s a quick look at women in dentistry who have helped the world smile more brightly.
Emiline Roberts Jones, the First Woman Dentist
Emiline Roberts Jones was born in 1836. She married the practicing dentist Dr. Daniel Jones at the age of eighteen, and exposure to his profession sparked her interest in the dental field. While her husband disapproved of this interest, she practiced by secretly attending to the oral health of many residents of northeast Connecticut in the years before the Civil War. When she revealed her work to her husband, he reluctantly invited her to work at his practice. In 1859, she became a full partner.
Lucy Hobbs Taylor, the First American Female to Hold a Dental Degree
Lucy Hobbs Taylor was born in New York in 1833. She graduated from Franklin Academy in New York in 1849 and became a school teacher as she studied medicine. After being denied admission to the Eclectic College of Medicine in 1859, she studied medicine secretly. She apprenticed herself to a practicing graduate of the Ohio College of Dental Surgery and opened her own practice in Cincinnati, OH in 1861. In 1865, the Iowa State Dental Society elected her as a member, and she served as a delegate to the American Dental Convention in Chicago.
Ida Rollins, the First Female African American Dentist
Ida Rollins was born in Tennessee in 1867 and orphaned in her early teens. While living with her aunt in Ohio, Ida attended high school while working as a seamstress and in a dental office to supplement her family’s income. She graduated from Ganes Public High School in 1887 and started working at a dental practice. This experience led to her passing the entrance exam at the Ohio College of Dentistry, leading to her becoming the first African American woman to earn a dental degree in 1890.
Female dentists have played a crucial role in helping people to live happier lives through excellent oral health. We can all rest assured that women will continue to excel in this important field.
About the Author
Dr. Vidya Kini Kukkundur earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery at the New York University College of Dentistry, where she serves patients of all ages with the highest standard of care. She is proud to be a member of the American Dental Association, the New Jersey Dental Association, and the Southern New Jersey Dental Society. Her office in Marlton, NJ offers general, restorative, cosmetic, and emergency dentistry. To schedule an appointment, contact her office online or dial (856) 596-4333.