Women dentists, Hobbs and after.

Many important events in dentistry took place in the U.S. in the mid-eighteenth century. It was changing from a craft usually transmitted by a preceptor to a science taught in established schools. Among the changes was founding of the first dental school, founding of the first dental journal, and 19 years later founding of the National Dental Association, which in time became the American Dental Association. Following Lucy Beaman Hobbs and Henriette Hirschfeld and their initial struggles, many women applied to dental school and received their degrees. While some of these women may not have practiced dentistry after graduation, many did. Several were active in organized dentistry and published articles on a variety of dental topics. Not much is known about many of the pioneers and the purpose of this work is to study the demographics of the first women who were accepted for study in dental schools of the United States and, where possible, their professional activities and contributions to the profession once they graduated.