In 1856 two dental societies were founded in Britain: the
Odontological Society of London and the College of Dentists of England. The two societies merged in 1863 to form the
Odontological Society of Great Britain and joined the
Royal Society of Medicine as its Odontological Section in 1907. By the 1870s leading dentists including Sir
John Tomes and Sir Edwin Saunders (one of Queen Victoria's dentists) formed the Dental Reform Committee, to help bring unity, organisation and code of ethics to the dental profession. This committee campaigned successfully for the first legislation to regulate dentistry, the
Dentists Act 1878 (
41 & 42 Vict. c. 33), which limited the title of "dentist" and "dental surgeon" to registered practitioners. Qualified practitioners and those who could show they had practised dentistry for five years prior to 1878 were the only ones eligible to register. The Dental Reform Committee called for a nationwide meeting to establish the BDA in 1879 and established it in 1880. The BDA elected Sir John Tomes as its first President. Much of the BDA's early work involved prosecuting dentists in breach of the Dentists Act 1878. One active member of the BDA was
Charles Edward Wallis, being on the association's representative board for six years. He also wrote extensively for the BDJ. The
Dentists Act 1921 (
11 & 12 Geo. 5. c. 21) created the Dental Board of the UK to administer the Dentists Register. Thus the BDA was freed from legislation, and rapidly emerged as the leading consultative body and voice for the dental profession. The 1921 act introduced a provision that only registered individuals could practise dentistry. However, unqualified practitioners were given opportunity to register if they could show they had been practising dentistry for five years prior to 1921. The last unqualified dentist ceased practise during the 1970s. ==British Dental Association Museum==