[The dental profession in The Netherlands before 1865]

The dental profession before 1865 has been described with the help of sources from the 19th century, in combination with prosopographical research. During this period, dentists had no exclusive rights in dentistry: other surgical professions were also involved both with its theory and practice. Their specialised colleagues comprised a group of 137 dentists, largely related to a few Jewish families. This characteristic, underlined by their intensive migration and training within the family, had been responsible for the divergent position of the dentists in Dutch medical legislature of the 19th century. While in the medical profession the organisation and structure (1865) was the first te be revised, followed by a reorganisation of education (1876); in dentistry the recruitment and education had to be reformed (1865-1876) before the building up of a new professional structure. This process speeded up by the rapid mortification of the ancient group of dentists.