History Of The Marquette University School of Dentistry

Marquette University School of Dentistry began as the Dental Department of the Milwaukee Medical College on September 26, 1894. On that day, there were  9 faculty members, 30 students, and a clinic consisting of 16 chairs.

In 1907, the Milwaukee Medical College affiliated with Marquette College, a Jesuit liberal arts school in the city of Milwaukee. With the addition of the Medical College’s four academic units—medicine, dentistry, nursing, and pharmacy—Marquette College became Marquette University, and the future of the School of Dentistry was secured.

The School of Dentistry moved to its 16th Street location in 1923. That building housed a 150-chair clinic that was later expanded to 167 chairs, and earned the reputation as “the largest dental clinic under one roof” in the world. That clinic, together with its diagnosis laboratory, was praised as a pioneering effort in dental education, and attracted dental educators nationwide to Marquette.

The School of Dentistry moved into its current facility in 2002. With this change of venue, the School of Dentistry also introduced a new patient-based, student-centered curriculum that has continued Marquette’s reputation as a leader in dental education.

Throughout the last 116 years, Marquette University School of Dentistry has been housed in three different buildings, provided over 3 million patient visits throughout Milwaukee, the state of Wisconsin, and the world, and graduated over 8000 dental professionals.

For more information about Marquette University School of Dentistry, please go to the following web address: http://www.marquette.edu/dentistry/index.shtml.