Accession UAA - UAA-1971-119

First formed in 1917 as a school within the Faculty of Medicine, the University of Alberta's (U of A) dental program became an autonomous degree- granting school in 1923, and achieved faculty status in 1944. From the years 1944 to 1958, U of A had the only dental school in Western Canada.
The Faculty of Dentistry trained dentists and dental hygienists for employment in private and public health care centres, as well as providing graduate studies programs leading to a MSc or PhD, and facilities for research. Students were given instruction and work experience at the University of Alberta Hospitals and at the Faculty's community health clinics. Within the Faculty were four departments (Dental Health Care, Oral Biology, Restorative Dentistry and Stomatology), each of which administers additional divisions. In 1996, the Faculty of Dentistry became part of the Faculty of Medicine becoming the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry.

Directors of the School of Dentistry included: 1923-1942 Harry Ernest Bulyea; 1942-1944 William Scott Hamilton.
Deans of the Faculty of Dentistry included: 1944-1958 William Scott Hamilton; 1958-1970 Hector Robertson MacLean; 1970-1976 James McCutcheon; 1976-1978 Donald M. Collinson; 1978-1989 Gordon W. Thompson; 1989- Norman K. Wood; 1994 Dr. Henry Dick (Acting); 1995- Dr. G. Wayne Raborn (Acting).