Sindecuse Museum of Dentistry

The Sindecuse Museum was established in 1991 with a grant from Dr. Gordon H. Sindecuse, a 1921 graduate of the U-M School of Dentistry. Its first professional part-time curator was hired that year. However, the museum's collections had been forming for several decades before the museum was established, as members of the School of Dentistry faculty, including Dr. Charles Kelsey, Professor Al Richards, and dental librarian Sue Segar, preserved and stored equipment, photos, and documents relating to the history of dentistry and the history of the dental school. The museum was originally housed on the first- and ground-floor lobby of the Kellogg Institute Building. The current curator is Tamara Barnes. == Collection ==

The Sindecuse Museum of Dentistry has a collection of more than 15,000 catalogued items, about 15 percent of which are displayed at one time. The museum's collection emphasizes dental technology and the history of the dental profession, particularly in the United States and Michigan. Artifacts date from the 18th century to the present day, and include dental equipment such as articulators, denture-forming equipment, and dental X-ray items, as well as historical oral hygiene items, which include a toothpaste and tooth powder collection on loan. Among the exhibits are materials on Saint Apollonia, the patron saint of dentistry; a collection of dentistry-themed children's books and toys; and materials on the noted dentist Willoughby D. Miller, a graduate of the university. The museum's collection includes "toothbrushes with heads greater than two inches in length, floss made from silk and examination chairs grand enough for a king." == Notes ==