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Dentists Registers: 1879-1925

British Dental Journal volume 232, pages 55–58 (2022)Cite this article

Abstract

The nineteenth and early twentieth centuries saw agitation to raise the profiles of practitioners of a number of trades, hoping to become recognised as 'professions'. Campaigning by dentists led to two Acts of Parliament, one in 1878 and the other in 1921. In turn, they allowed, first, the establishment of a voluntary register of dentists and then, compulsory registration. This paper shows how the numbers and types of practitioners changed over the years between 1879 (the year of the first published register) and 1925 (by when compulsory registration had settled down).

Key points

  • Victorian dentistry was provided by a range of practitioners, some dangerous.

  • The nineteenth century saw moves to bring some order into practice.

  • The Dentists Act in 1878 provided the first steps towards regulated practice, instituting a voluntary Register, and the Dentists Act of 1921 finally made dentistry a closed profession.

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References

  1. Hill A. The History of the Reform Movement in the dental profession in Great Britain: during the last twenty years. London: Trubner and Co, 1877.

  2. Campbell J M. From a Trade to a Profession: Byways in Dental History. Privately printed for private circulation, 1958.

  3. Gelbier S. James Smith Turner (1832-1904) and the British Dental Association. Br Dent J 2017; 222: 396-399.

  4. Gelbier S. The Royal Colleges, the LDS and the struggles of the 19th century. In McGowan D and Nicolson M (eds) Apprenticeship to lifelong learning: dental education through the centuries: Proceedings of a symposium held at Easterbrook Halls, Dumfries, October 2011. pp 17-24. Glasgow: Henry Noble History of Dentistry Research Group, 2015.

  5. The Dentists Act, 1878 (41 and 42 Vict. cap. 33).

  6. Gelbier S. Dental Pillars of Society. Dent Hist 2007; 46: 2-76.

  7. Report of the Departmental Committee (chairman F D Acland) on the Dentists' Act. London: HMSO, Cmd. 33, 1919.

  8. The Dentists Act, 1921 (11 and 12 Geo. 5 cap. 21).

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Acknowledgements

Helen Nield, Head of Library and Knowledge Services at the BDA, kindly provided the images for Figures 1 and 2.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Honorary Professor and Head of the Unit for the History of Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral and Craniofacial Sciences, King´s College London, Guy´s Hospital, Tooley Street, London, SE1 1UL, UK

    Stanley Gelbier

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  1. Stanley Gelbier
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Correspondence to Stanley Gelbier.

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The author declares no conflicts of interest.

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Cite this article

Gelbier, S. Dentists Registers: 1879-1925. Br Dent J 232, 55–58 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-021-3820-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-021-3820-3

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