With so many talented female dentists practicing across the country today, it is hard to imagine that there once was a time when dental schools were attended solely by men. Today on International Women’s Day, we take the time to honor the legacy of a woman who changed the dental industry for generations of women by breaking this tradition and becoming the first female in the country to earn a degree in dentistry.
Lucy Hobbs was born March 14, 1833, in Constable, New York as the seventh of ten children. She moved to Michigan in 1849 and began her career as a schoolteacher. Ten years later, Hobbs decided it was time for a career change and she relocated to Ohio to pursue dentistry. It turned out to not be an easy path to follow – Hobbs was denied admission to the Eclectic Medical College and the Ohio College of Dentistry in Cincinnati due to her gender. Determined to achieve her goal, she did not give up. Hobbs persuaded Dr. Samuel Wardle, a recent graduate of dental school, to tutor her. She began an apprenticeship in his office and eventually began practicing on her own; first in Ohio and then in Iowa. Hobbs practiced without a license, which was common at the time, but still dreamed of one day becoming a certified dentist.
In 1865, Hobbs was elected to the Iowa State Dental Society, which was one of the first dental organizations in the country to accept women. This achievement along with years of experience helped her reach her goal of being accepted into dental school. Hobbs enrolled at the Ohio College of Dental Surgery and upon graduation in 1866, she became the first female to earn the prestigious degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS). This unprecedented accomplishment paved the way for women across the country to become dentists. Since then, the number of females to earn a degree in dentistry has been growing, and today about a third of dentists worldwide are female. We hope this statistic will change and that the number of women dentists will keep growing. The dental industry needs more talented dentists and women should be encouraged to pursue careers in this profession.