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The Royal College of Surgeons of England, its Faculty of Dental Surgery and the origins of the Faculty of Dental Surgery

British Dental Journal volume 234, pages 177–180 (2023)Cite this article

Abstract

The Royal College of Surgeons of England established a Faculty of Dental Surgery in 1947 as part of a wider reorganisation. Its Fellowship in Dental Surgery began at the same time and became a mark of recognition of high standing as part of training programmes for dental specialists. Although similar fellowships were later awarded by the surgical colleges in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Ireland, they are outside the scope of this article. Two questions are examined in this paper: when and why did they start?

Key points

  • After World War II, medicine and surgery were undergoing moves towards more specialisation, including within the Royal Surgical Colleges.

  • The Royal College of Surgeons of England has a long and renowned history, but only in 1947 did it establish a Faculty of Dental Surgery (FDS) and associated Fellowship.

  • The FDS soon attained an important status as recognition of a high level of knowledge and training. It later gained accreditation as evidence of recognised dental specialist training.

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References

  1. Webb-Johnson A. The Foreword to the First Issue Published in 1947 Reproduced to Mark its 60th Anniversary. Ann R Coll Surg Eng 2007; 89: 3-5.

  2. Fickling B W. Webb-Johnson lecture, 1978. The marches of dentistry. Ann R Coll Surg Engl 1978; 60: 182-191.

  3. Stephens C. The Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of England: An overview of the first 70 year's achievements. Dent Hist 2017; 62: 24-32.

  4. Royal College of Surgeons of England. First meeting of the Board of the Faculty of Dental Surgery, 31 July 1947: booklet published for the 70th anniversary of the Faculty. 1947.

  5. Blandey J P, Lumley J S. Faculty of Dental Surgery. In The Royal College of Surgeons of England: 200 years of history at the Millennium. New Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell, 2000.

  6. British Dental Journal. BDA Notes: Royal College of Surgeons: Supplemental Charter. Br Dent J 1946; 81: 324.

  7. Sadler A. Maxillofacial Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. In The Making of British Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery: Voices of Pioneers and Witnesses to its Evolution from Hospital Dentistry. London: Brokesley House, 2021.

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Acknowledgements

Susan Isaac, Customer Services Manager, Library of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, was enormously helpful in locating material, especially early minutes of the RCS Council and Faculty Board. David Barnard, one time Dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery, provided some ideas and much information. Helen Nield, Head of BDA Library and Knowledge Services, provided some references and papers. Rachel Bairsto, Head of BDA Museum Services, gave some information on members of the early Board and provided the photograph of Professor Bradlaw.

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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, United Kingdom

    Stanley Gelbier

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  1. Stanley Gelbier
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Correspondence to Stanley Gelbier.

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Gelbier, S. The Royal College of Surgeons of England, its Faculty of Dental Surgery and the origins of the Faculty of Dental Surgery. Br Dent J 234, 177–180 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-023-5471-z

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