University of Missouri--Kansas City. School of Dentistry
Parallel Names
- Kansas City Dental College
- Kansas City Western Dental College
- Lincoln and Lee School of Dentistry. Kansas City Western Dental College
- Western Dental College
Biography
The School of Dentistry is the only public dental school in Missouri, serving students seeking doctor of dental surgery (DDS) and bachelor of science in dental hygiene degrees. The school conducts research and offers dental care through its comprehensive care clinic.
The Kansas City Dental College (founded in 1881) and the Western Dental College (1890) merged in 1919 to become the Kansas City-Western Dental College. In 1920, the newly merged college moved from being owned by private stakeholders to becoming a non-profit organization. The college merged with the unopened Lincoln and Lee University in 1926, and renamed itself the Lincoln and Lee School of Dentistry, Kansas City Western Dental College. The School of Dentistry officially joined the University of Kansas City in 1941. It offered the D.D.S. degree the same year.
The Western Dental College prior to its merger accepted women as students, while the Kansas City Dental College had not. The UMKC School of Dentistry accepted women as students upon its merger with the university in 1941.
The school began offering freshman dental classes on campus in 1943; the master of science degree in 1947; the bachelor of science in dental hygiene degree in 1951; the certificate in dental hygiene in 1953; and the professional graduate diploma in 1962.