The Rise Of The Ontario Dental Association

At one time considered a trade, dentistry gradually evolved and attained professional status, structured in such a way as to recruit middle-class white men; by definition, a professional was a gentleman. A unique and fascinating social history.

Beginning with the earliest records available describing the dental health of the Indians before the arrival of European settlers, Dr Gullett gives a detailed and carefully documented history of dentistry in Canada. He describes the unscrupulous tramp dentists who roamed the countryside years ago as well as their respectable contemporaries, and he traces the development of practice, education, and professional associations, as dentistry developed from an art to a science. The author spent five years gathering information for this book from public archives, libraries, personal interviews, and the records of the profession. The result is a lively and readable story told with a continuing concern for health services.

The history of the dental program at Western University is a spirited and gritty story of grand visions, strong personalities, and contentious leadership. Focusing on the years from 1965 to 2015, Transforming Dentistry highlights Western University’s ambitious plans to create and situate a dental program within a health sciences complex; the practical challenges involved in implementing a curriculum and populating a new school; the influence of key dental faculty, community dentists, and students in shaping the program; and the school’s near closure during the 1990s. David J. Kenny and Shelley McKellar detail how and why the training of dentists was transformed by science, technology, and individual educators. The book focuses on the unique aspects of Western’s dental program and compares it with the programs offered at nine other Canadian schools. Today, the strong reputation of Western dentistry is a direct result of the ambitious visions, professional commitment, and steadfast leadership employed by London dentists and university educators over more than five decades.