History

Philadelphia Dental College is established in Philadelphia. Founder Dr. John McQuillen is named the first dean. The school opens with four faculty members and 11 students. The college opens on the corner of 10th and Arch Streets and soon moves to a larger building on Cherry Street near 18th Street.

George Green patents the first electric dental drill. This invention revolutionized modern dentistry even though the lack of available electricity in many cities slowed its adoption.

Philadelphia Dental College becomes the first college to offer a course in oral surgery and the first to offer oral and maxillofacial surgery in the United States.

Dr. Jessie Detchon becomes the first female graduate of the Philadelphia Dental College and becomes one of two female dentists in the United States at the time.

The Temple College of Philadelphia is founded by Reverend Russell Conwell, a minister of Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia. The college was intended “primarily for the benefit of working men'' and required no tuition. 

William Jackson becomes the first African-American graduate of the Philadelphia Dental College. He worked as a janitor at the school while completing his course work.

Dr. Masatsune Ichinoi graduates from Philadelphia Dental College and becomes the first Japanese professor of dentistry at the college and the first Japanese dentist to open an office in the city. He returned to Japan to introduce modern dentistry to his homeland. 

Dr. Simeon H. Guilford became the dean of Philadelphia Dental College and served until 1905. Dr Guilford would later serve a second term from 1909 to 1917.

The Philadelphia Dental College moves to a new, larger building on the corner of 18th and Buttonwood Streets.

At the turn of the 20th century, Philadelphia Dental College has 389 students and 105 graduates from 20 different states and 11 foreign countries.

Procaine, better known as Novocaine, was first synthesized by German chemist Alfred Einhorn as an alternative to what was typically used at the time—cocaine.

Philadelphia Dental College merges with Temple College.

Dr. G V Black publishes the monumental treatise Operative Dentistry. This work sets the standard for dental education and established Black as “The Father of Modern Dentistry.”

Temple University School of Dentistry graduate Dr. William Scheifley travels to Korea as a dental missionary and establishes the first Department of Dentistry at Severance Union Medical College in Seoul, Korea. He is credited with bringing modern dental education and care to that country.

The Department of Oral Hygiene at Temple University School of Dentistry is established. One year later, its first student graduates.

The American Dental Hygienists' Association was founded. 

Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin. 

Temple University School of Dentistry institutes the two-four plan, requiring students to have at least two years of pre-dental college instruction and extending the dental curriculum to four years.

Temple Dental Review publishes the first paper on the use of nitrous oxide as a sedative agent in dental cavity preparation. At the time the gas was commonly used in dental surgery but not widely used for treating patients with cavities. 

Temple University School of Dentistry outgrows its space on 18th Street and moves into the converted Packard car factory at Broad and Allegheny. 

Dr. Helen Myers, a Temple University School of Dentistry graduate, becomes the first woman to be commissioned by the US Army Dental Corps. 

Dr. Willam Updegrave, a graduate of Temple Dental, invents the Rinn XCP instrument that aids in the position of the dental x-ray within the mouth. This invention is still in use today.

Temple Dental increases its community-centered programming with the creation of the Department of Community Dentistry.

Temple University School of Dentistry changes the name of the degree awarded to dental graduates from Doctor of Dental Surgery to Doctor of Dental Medicine. 

Temple University School of Dentistry begins expanding at a time when dental schools are closing across the country. Construction on a new annex begins to add 100 dental operatories and new training facilities. The school also begins teaching cosmetic dentistry and expands its dental research. 

The Dr. and Mrs Weaver Historical Dental Museum opens on the third floor of the Temple University School of Dentistry. The museum features the schools’ unique collection of dental artifacts and celebrates the contributions of Temple alumni and faculty. 

The Temple University School of Dentistry is awarded a perfect score for the American dental Association's commission on dental accreditation.

The Temple University School of Dentistry is renamed the Maurice H Kornberg School of Dentistry in recognition of a $10 million donation made by his estate. Dr. Kornberg was a graduate of Philadelphia Dental College class of 1921.

Tree of Peace, a sculpture created by artist Peace Hedva Ser, is dedicated and installed in front of the school.  The Kornberg School of Dentistry has 500 students and 130 faculty members providing more than 300,000 patient procedures, demonstrating the schools commitment to community health.

Practice Management in Action is initiated by the dental school. This program allows students to rotate through dental settings in the Philadelphia area and gain information about the many models of dental practice.

The dental school opens its first offsite dental clinic at KleinLife in northeast Philadelphia. KleinLife serves a large population of elderly patients, including more than 400 Holocaust survivors. The services are delivered free of charge.

The first medical clinic is opened at the Maurice H Kornberg school of dentistry. SS White, in collaboration with Temple University, develops the Fissurotomy Bur Block Kit, which allows for early diagnosis, conservative preparation, and treatment of hidden fissure caries, often without the use of anesthesia. The Maurice H. Kornberg School of Dentistry launches the Henry Schein Digital Dentistry Program. This program assists in tooth imprinting using a CAD/CAM system and milling of dental crowns on site, shortening the entire dental crown procedure down to about 30 minutes.

InsightDenti® is launched by the school, in collaboration with InsightMedi™.  The technology allows students, faculty and staff to share patient cases for educational purposes without jeopardizing patient privacy.  The dental school begins partnering with preschools and childcare centers operating under the Head Start program throughout Philadelphia. The school’s faculty and students provide dental screenings, preventative care, and education to more than 6000 children.

Shalva National Center in Jerusalem, Israel. The Center is dedicated to providing transformative care for individuals with disabilities, empowering the families and promoting social inclusion.