UTSD Gallery Outline
Updated 8-7-12
(OPTIONAL FIRST SECTION)
19th Century Dentistry in Texas
1880: After Reconstruction, Texas grew rapidly, with the population rising to 1.6 million by 1880. The
increase in population brought with it an influx of every type of charlatan and quack the dental
profession has ever known. Texas had no dental law and became 'the refuge for the unwanted.' -- "First
100 Years of Dentistry" – Walter Stout
1897 – Texas dental law created the State Board of Dental Examiners – Stout
VISUALS: Early Texas maps?
First in Texas: How the Texas Dental College Got Started
UTSD began in 1905 as the Texas Dental College, the first dental school in Texas. It was organized by a
group of Houston businessmen, dentists and physicians who believed would-be dentists shouldn’t have
to go out of state to attend dental school, most often in Baltimore, New Orleans, Nashville, St. Louis,
Kansas City or Atlanta. The cost of doing so kept many out of the profession.
These organizers sold stock in the school to themselves, raising nearly $10,000 to get it started. The
school would then have to survive on tuition and clinical fees. In 1920, the investors donated their stock
to the school so that it could become a nonprofit entity and improve its accreditation rating and chances
of affiliating with a university.
In its first 30 years, the school moved from rental to rental, trying to make ends meet while offering
students a solid dental education using the latest new technology.
VISUALS & ARTIFACTS
1905: Exterior 813 Congress (at Travis), above a dry goods store
1908: Exterior 314 1/2 Caroline above a store
1915: Exterior Franklin at Fannin, above Heitmann's Hardware Store
Between 1905-1924: Interior photo
Photograph of 1909 Faculty & Students
1905 Catalog Cover
Quote from 1908 catalog: (Describing new building): "The second floor is given up to a large
infirmary hall. Tall windows on all sides assure an abundance of light and ventilation. Over each chair in
the infirmary is an electric drop light so that on dark days and late winter afternoons the most difficult
operations may be done.”
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Fannin & Blodgett Building: (1925-55) The first location built to be a dental school
Completed in 1925; 15,000 square feet at a cost of approximately $50,000. A second floor and
basement extension were added later. The new building was designed for approximately 35 students
per class. Had 27 faculty members, 8 demonstrators. 38 students graduated in spring 1926, the first
class to graduate from the new building.
QUOTE from 1925-26 catalog: “The architectural style is Spanish with a touch of Italian. It allows
the use of very large window space and hence is well lighted for the work in dentistry. The main
entrance is on Blodgett Boulevard and is approached by a broad walk and a flight of step leading
to an enriched and dignified archway. The building is about 200 feet east of Main Street. It is
within walking distance of parks, art museum, churches and other institutions of learning,
making it an ideal environment for the student body.”
Students could walk to air-conditioned Sears store nearby for lunch.
The building was home to the Dental Science Institute from 1964-1995.
ARTIFACTS: Brick from building
PHOTOS: Many of front of building, steps, clinics inside; also have photos from the tear-down
Dental Branch Building: 1955-2012
Completed in 1955. Nearly 200,000 sq. feet (at opening) at a cost of $6M; nearly 1/3 cost paid with
private gifts. It was a five-story aluminum glass and marble structure designed to house the School of
Dentistry, postgraduate and dental hygiene schools. Later additions brought the building up to just over
300,000 square feet. Built to use closed circuit TV and two-way communication with the TV studio. 400
seat auditorium, library with bound journals from the 1840s to 1955 …
PHOTOS: Many available of the building when new, using TV for lessons, maybe use “Goodbye DBB”
photo from last April.
Joining UT System
In the 1890s, The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston was a leading medical center and
premiere teaching institution. An initiative to add dentistry to The University of Texas had many
supporters, but they couldn’t agree on where the school should be. Some wanted it in Galveston as part
of the medical school. Some thought it should be in Austin. Others wanted UT to adopt the Texas Dental
College in Houston.
To enhance the school’s accreditation rating and to be more attractive to UT, the founders all donated
their stock back to the school in 1929, making it a nonprofit, philanthropic institution. But efforts to join
UT were rebuffed, in part because the school was in debt.
In the 1930s, the rivalry between Galveston and Houston got heated, with dental societies across the
state taking sides. Even the national dental accrediting agency got involved, stating by telegram that
dental schools should be independent of medical schools. But the Great Depression caused a significant
drop in enrollment at the same time the state budget fell short, and the dental school argument was
silenced for several years.
The Texas Dental College struggled to stay alive, but its founders simply would not let it die. Gradually,
Dean Fred Elliott and Business Manager Mrs. Elna Birath guided the school through treacherous times
and into financial soundness.
When the school finally joined UT System on Sept. 1, 1943, two things had happened that probably
made the difference. First, the dental college was debt-free. And second, World War II had created a
huge need for more dentists.
Upon becoming “The University of Texas School of Dentistry,” the school immediately launched an
accelerated program and dramatically increased enrollment, graduating 55 new dentists that year,
compared to 18 the year before.
QUOTE from Dental Digest:
“Before April 1, 1941, present plans call for the induction of 3,000 dentists into the Dental Corps of the
Army. … It is estimated that up to 15,000 dentists will receive military training. The output from all the
dental schools in the country for the immediate years ahead could easily be absorbed into the military
service and still there would be a scarcity of dentists to meet the military demands. With death and
retirement striking the civilian-dentist population, without replacement from the dental schools into the
civilian ranks, it’s easy to see what may happen to private dental practice.” -- Dental Digest, Spring 1941
QUOTE from DENTAL DIGEST
“The total defense that we have heard so much about of late, which this Nation seeks, involves a great
deal more than building airplanes, ships, guns and bombs. We cannot be a strong Nation unless we are a
healthy Nation. And we must recruit not only men and materials, but also knowledge and science in the
services of national strength.” – President Franklin D. Roosevelt, speech dedicating the National Institute
of Health at Bethesda, MD, Oct. 31, 1940 (quoted in the Dental Digest)
When the Texas Dental College (finally debt-free) joined UT System on Sept. 1, 1943, the school
immediately implemented an accelerated program, and graduated 55 new dentists that year, compared
to 18 the year before.
VISUALS: Telegram, Chronicle story about recruits with bad teeth; class photos pre- and post-war
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Dental Hygiene: First Academic DH Program in Texas
(MORE DETAILS COMING)
Authorized 1945; first class admitted fall 1955. The program initially offered a certificate in dental
hygiene. Today’s students enter with at least 60 hours of college prerequisites and earn bachelor of
science degrees in dental hygiene. The first male student graduated in 1989.
VISUALS:
First director, Lorna Bruning, teaching by TV
DH students of yesteryear
First male graduate, T.D. Ho, 1989 ( mug shot)
DH students of today
Trailblazers
Dr. Ralph Cooley – Invented Copalite, used to “calm the tooth” before restorative work
Dr. Fred Elliott – Texas Medical Center Visionary
Dr. Sumter Arnim: “Father of fluoridation” and inventor of disclosing wafer
Dr. Zeb Poindexter Jr. – First black graduate (1956) & first black faculty member
No photos available:
Dr. Alice Attaway – First female graduate 1910, practiced in El Paso
Dr. A. Barju Tores – First Hispanic, 1913
Drs. M. Mizuma, S. Nakamura and R. Tokuda, first Asians, 1924
VISUALS: Portraits of Cooley, Elliott, Poindexter, & Arnim
Copalite Bottle
Trademark for XPose brand of disclosing wafer
Technology and the Student Experience
Pen, paper and chalkboard were joined in the 1950s by closed circuit TV and taped demonstrations.
Today, computers, the Internet and clinical simulation have changed the way teachers teach and
students learn.
VISUALS:
Dr. Gerald Latimer’s 1947 student study notes
Photo of Dr. Latimer as a student in 1950
1950s-80s: Dental students tuning in to video presentations
Lorna Bruning, dental hygiene director, on camera
TV crews recording dental procedures
Students of today in modern classrooms, using simulation
Students recording notes on laptops
Dentistry & The Military
War creates new demands for dentists at home and abroad, introduces soldiers to dental care – either
as patients or as future dentists themselves. War gives dental practitioners a chance to hone skills
treating battlefield injuries. After World War II, the GI Bill made dental school affordable for students
who otherwise would never have considered a professional education.
Military dentists have died in service to their country. Dr. Robert Perry Mills Jr. was an only child and
therefore exempt from the draft, but he volunteered to serve. In 1967, he became the first Navy dentist
killed in Vietnam.
VISUALS:
Portrait of Dr. Perry in uniform
Dr. Ralph Cooley home from WWI, in uniform and hugging his sons
Dr. Kenneth Morrow, military dentist working in field hospital in Vietnam
Dr. Mitchel N. Toney, Tuskegee airman with plane (graduated Class of ’57)
Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
Dentists’ WWII trauma team experiences led to big increase in oral surgeons in U.S. and huge shortage
of accredited training programs. Dr. Edward C. Hines established the first Oral Surgery Program at UTSD.
It opened July 1, 1949. It was the first oral surgery training program in Texas.
VISUAL: 1940s group photo on steps of Jeff Davis Hospital, featuring Dr. Hines and all the residents.
(To be added at Dr. Valenza’s request)
UTSD’s Impact on the Community
How has the school made a difference these 100+ years? How many patients have been served? How
many dental professionals educated?
Deans of the Dental School
(PENDING)
List with portrait and a key accomplishment beside each name
John A. Valenza, DDS
2009-Present
Catherine M. Flaitz, DDS, MS
2002-09
Ronald Johnson, DDS
1996-2002
Raul C. Caffesse, DDS, MS, Dean Pro Tem 1992-96
Don Allen, DDS, MS
1982-92
John Victor Olsen, DDS, MS
1952-82
Frederick C. Elliott, DDS
1932-52
Joseph P. Arnold, DDS
1930-32
Olympio F. Gambati, DDS
1905-1930