Epidemiological profile of graduates of the Wits Dental Faculty 1927-1995

The Wits dental school was first proposed in 1921 but had no premises until a private dental clinic was taken over in 1924 by the University, the same year that the Bachelor of Dental Surgery regulations were agreed to. In 1925 the first dental students registered and a year later, in 1926, the first seven lecturers in dental surgery were appointed. Since the first two graduates in 1927, 1916 dentists have graduated from the school as have 63 oral hygienists. Of the dentists 116 are female and 127 are black, Chinese, coloured or Indian. Regarding postgraduate qualifications, 346 have been awarded by the University on behalf of the dental school. This paper describes patterns in numbers of graduates, proportions registered in South Africa and contrasts registered South African dental school graduates with registered graduates from outside the country. It is clear that the Wits dental school has made a major contribution to South African society.