The influence of the University of Pennsylvania on UK dentistry 1880-1922

British attendance at the two early dental meetings held in Philadelphia in 1926 has recently been reported; however, the influence of the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) on United Kingdom (UK) dentistry started much earlier. In March 1879, the first Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degrees from UPenn were awarded, and during the next 40 years, well over 100 dentists travelled from the UK to obtain the DDS UPenn. Of these, 90 returned to practise in the UK. This paper considers the influence that these had on UK dentistry.