Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario


The Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario is the regulatory college for dentists in the province of Ontario, Canada. The college was incorporated on March 4, 1868 when royal assent was granted to An Act Respecting Dentistry in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Dental hygienists are separately regulated by the College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario.

History

Dr. Barnabas Day organized the Dental Association of Ontario in 1867.
In 1868 the ODA lobbied the Ontario government to pass the Act Respecting Dentistry, by which the dentists must be licensed in order to practice.
This aimed to end tooth pulling by untrained fly-by-night charlatans.
The Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario was formed by ODA members to act as the governing body.
In 1869 the RCDSO opened the first dental school in Canada.
In 1893 Caroline Louise Josephine Wells became the first woman to graduate from the RCDSO, which made her the first Canadian woman to graduate from any dental school.