Indiana University School of Dentistry

The IU School of Dentistry was created in 1925 from the Indiana Dental College, a private, proprietary school established in Indianapolis in the nineteenth century. In 1933 the school moved to its present location with the completion of a new school building.

The Indiana Dental College was founded in 1879 in Indianapolis for the purpose of increasing the standards of dentistry in Indiana. Indiana University purchased the college in 1925, and in 1933 moved it to its current location on West Michigan Street in Indianapolis.

The Indiana Dental College opened its doors to students on October 1, 1879. The birth of the college was a result of the Mississippi Valley Association of Dental Surgeons, founded in 1844, and the Indiana State Dental Association, founded in 1858. Both organizations were founded by J.P. Ulrey, one of the earliest and most prominent dentists in Indiana history.

The mission of the Indiana State Dental Association was to upgrade the standards of dentistry in Indiana. One strategy they developed for achieving this was to get legislation passed that upheld dental standards. However, the Indiana State Legislature was hesitant to pass such legislation since there were no dentistry schools in Indiana at the time. Nonetheless, a law was enacted in 1879 stating that a diploma was required to practice dentistry in the state of Indiana. There is some speculation that the Indiana State Dental Association negotiated with the Indiana State Legislature, in which the enactment of the new law was contingent on the establishment of the Indiana Dental College.

Dr. P.G.C. Hunt, a member of the Mississippi Valley Association of Dental Surgeons, was the first president of the state board of dental examiners and was highly interested in a dental school being founded in Indiana. Dr. William Heiskell, president of the Indiana State Dental Association, instructed Drs. Hunt and Junius Cravens to invite all dentists in Indiana to a meeting at Dr. Heiskell’s office in Indianapolis on June 23, 1879. A Dental College Association and board of trustees were formed during this meeting. On September 1, 1879, a two year lease was signed for a building at 147 East Market Street, in Indianapolis, Indiana, to house the Indiana Dental College.

However, with rising scholastic and administrative standards issued by the Dental Education Council in the early twentieth century, it became near impossible for privately owned schools to operate at a reasonable profit. Due to fiscal considerations, dentists seeking a reputable dental school in Indiana favored a dental college owned by the state. Consequently, Indiana University assumed ownership of the Indiana Dental College on June 1, 1925, for the price of $35,000.

In July of 1929 the Indiana University School of Dentistry issued a statement saying that all previous graduates of the Indiana Dental College were eligible to receive a diploma from the Indiana University School of Dentistry. The School moved to 1121 West Michigan Street in 1933 and has resided there ever since. Omicron Kappa Upsilon, the national dental honor society, formed the Theta Theta chapter of the Indiana University School of Dentistry in 1934.

The school continued to thrive throughout the 1930s and 1940s. In 1935, the U.S. Public Health Service designated Indiana University as a research center for the study of dental diseases of children. The federal government funded a children's clinic comprised of 15 modern dental units. In 1940 three new departments were created, Oral Diagnosis, Dental Materials, and Periodontia. This was followed up by the development of a Master of Science in Oral Pathology and Orthodontia in 1942. During World War II, the Dental School accelerated its program to aid in the war effort by creating a three-semester academic year. Remodeling also began on the school in 1948 with excavation of a basement for locker rooms and the construction of a postgraduate clinic on the third floor. The library was moved to the first floor and an elevator was installed. In 1962 and 1972, new additions to the building were completed.