Origins The
dental program was formed in 1901, during the presidency of
Jerome Daugherty, with the acquisition by Georgetown of the Washington Dental College and the Hospital of Oral Surgery on
Massachusetts Avenue. The Washington Dental College was incorporated into the
School of Medicine as the dental department. There were initially five faculty chairs of: techniques and
orthodontia; dental
histology and
pathology; operative dentistry; oral surgery; and
prosthetic dentistry. Dr.
William N. Cogan was elected as the school's first
dean. In 1920, the first
X-ray machine was installed in the dental department. Two-thirds of the cost of this $5,000 addition was absorbed by the dental faculty while the remaining third was paid by the medical faculty.
Independence In the aftermath of the
Second World War, the dental department saw rapid growth, with many veterans enrolling under the
G.I. Bill.
Closure By the late 1980s, a variety of factors had forced dental schools across the United States to close, and many others were downsizing.
Price Waterhouse determined that by 1992, the Georgetown University School of Dentistry would be operated an annual $3.6 million deficit. A number of causes were put forth, including: a decreased demand for dental care due to advances in technology and the widespread public adoption of
fluoridation, an excess in the number of practicing dentists relative to the size of the population, the rising cost of
tuition, and increasing numbers of prospective dental students seeking to attend
medical school, leading to sharply declining dental school enrollment. On March 19, 1987, the
Georgetown University Board of Directors voted unanimously to cease the operation of the school. The school's closure also prompted a
congressional hearing. At the time of its closure, the School of Dentistry was the second largest dental school in the United States behind the
New York University College of Dentistry. It was also one of only twelve dental schools in the country not to receive federal aid, and had one of the highest costs of tuition at $15,000. In total, the school graduated approximately 4,100 alumni. == List of deans ==