The University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry will
celebrate its 100th anniversary of educating Nebraskans to be dental professionals
with a series of events on Sept. 16, 17 and 18, for faculty, staff and
alumni.
The college, located at 40th & Holdrege Streets in Lincoln on the
East Campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, began in the former
Nebraska State Bank Building with an association with a former Christian
college. One-hundred years later, the UNMC College of Dentistry ranks among
the nation’s best, while providing health-care professionals for Nebraska
and the region.
“The college has a rich history, one of service to the state,” said
Stephen Leeper, D.D.S., dean of the college. “As we look to our past, we
must also look forward to ensure that we never stop fulfilling our mission.”
The College of Dentistry currently offers two degrees, a doctor of dental
surgery and a bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene and seven certificates.
It currently employs 65 fulltime and 65 parttime faculty and staff, has
a student enrollment of 243 and has 4,082 alumni.
The college was organized June 29, 1899, with the formation of the Lincoln
Dental College. Its doors opened Sept. 17, 1899. W. Clyde Davis, D.D.S.,
M.D., and four business partners organized a stock company that owned and
ran the school, which was associated with Cotner University.
With Davis serving as its president, the college included seven students
in its inaugural year. Kiyoshi Kumamoto completed the college’s three-year
curriculum in two years, becoming its first graduate. Elizabeth C. Field,
the college’s first female graduate, was part of the second dental class.
One century later, more than 50 percent of the dental professionals
practicing in Nebraska received their training at the College of Dentistry.
The college’s association with the University of Nebraska began in 1903
when faculty and students began using university facilities. The association
with Cotner University thus ended.
The University of Nebraska Board of Regents, on Sept. 23, 1918, established
a dental department under the title of the University of Nebraska, School
of Dentistry. At the same meeting, the Regents accepted the Lincoln Dental
College as a gift from its primary owner and founder, Dr. Davis.
In its 100 years, seven deans have served the college: Dr. Davis; George
Grubb, D.D.S.; Bert Hooper, D.D.S.; Ralph Ireland, D.D.S.; Richard Bradley,
D.D.S.; Henry Cherrick, D.D.S., and Dr. Leeper.
The College of Dentistry became part of the University of Nebraska Medical
Center in 1979.
Dr. Leeper said faculty, staff and students have reason to be proud
of their college.
“We certainly are not the biggest dental school in the country, but
our graduates excel. They become educators, practicing dentists, administrators
and researchers. They serve their communities well,” Dr. Leeper said.
Sponsors of centennial events include the UNMC College of Dentistry
Alumni Association, Nebraska Dental Association and the Nebraska Dental
Alumni Association.
UNMC is the only public academic health science center in the state.
Through its commitment to research, education, outreach and patient care,
UNMC has established itself as one of the country’s leading centers for
cancer research and treatment and solid organ transplantation. More than
$34 million in research grants and contracts are awarded to UNMC scientists
annually. In addition, UNMC’s educational programs are responsible for
training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other
institution.
Other facts about the UNMC College of Dentistry
Recent achievements
–Since 1988, the UNMC College of Dentistry faculty have visited
17 communities, traveled 17,000 miles and visited 4,250 dental professionals
as part of the Continuing Education Caravan each May.
— For the third-straight year and fifth of the past six, the
colleges freshman class has ranked first among the 55 U.S. dental schools
for incoming grade-point average.
–The college now includes three endowed professorships.
–The college’s Rural Dental Practice Management Associateship
gives graduates an opportunity to participate in established dental practices
in rural communities. Since 1992, 11 graduates have been placed in rural
communities where they basically receive a fifth year of training and often
have the opportunity to join a dental practice.
Dental hygiene program
The College of Dentistry actually is celebrating another anniversary
in 1999. Elizabeth Warner Waggener arrived in Lincoln in January 1964 to
establish a dental hygiene program. Ten students were part of the initial
class. They persevered through less-than-optimal conditions: The program
temporarily was housed in a half-finished basement with dirt floors —
in the NU Student Health Center. The program lists more than 600 graduates
in its 35-year history. Current class size typically is about 20 students.
Dental research
Dental research at the college didnt flourish until the 1940s. Most
dental colleges of that day didn’t have the money or resources to carry
out full-scale research programs. According to the Nebraska Dental Association,
College of Dentistry faculty conducted several significant studies during
that time. Of note were a study by Roger Sturdevant, D.D.S., of gold castings
and cavity preparation for golf inlays; and one of the first studies in
the nation by Earl Lampshire, D.D.S., on the Class 2 cavity preparation
in primary teeth.
Work by William Kramer, D.D.S., led to a new table of measurements for
primary teeth. Those results were used in teaching dental anatomy and by
dental students while carving teeth.
Research at the college received a boost in 1998 with the dedication
of the Cruzan Center for Dental Research. The center provides research
space and the latest equipment, which allows the college to participate
in clinical and basic science research. Administrators hope to double the
colleges research funding by the year 2003.
Current or recently completed projects by UNMC College of Dentistry
faculty and staff include:
–Research on tetracycline for treatment of periodontal disease by
Rick Reinhardt, Ph.D.,
professor and Moran chair in surgical specialties.
–A study on the safety and efficacy of an electric toothbrush for
a German company by Caren Barnes, coordinator of clinical research for
the college.
–A study that used collected cytology smears and biopsies to test
the computer’s ability to locate malignant cells, conducted by Don Cohen,
D.M.D., associate professor of oral biology.