Dental suffragettes in Europe
However, the involvement of women in dentistry dates back to ancient times. One of the first historically recorded female dentists was Abbess Hildegard of Bingen. This benedictine polymath living in 12th-century Germany wrote many publications about oral health. For cleaning her teeth, she used the ashes of the grapevine, with its gentle cleaning properties in combination with an array of monastic herbs.
During the following centuries, women could perform dentistry because it was not a regulated profession and was part of other crafts, such as barbers or beauticians. In the second half of the 18th, dentistry was becoming more and more regulated and started to require formal education and permission to engage in dentistry. Women were kept outside the door of educational institutions and their practices were becoming banned. Here starts the era of powerful women fighting for their educational and professional rights in dentistry.
France: Madeleine-Françoise Calais and Madame Ana
In 1740, Madeleine-Françoise Calais became the first female dentist to obtain a master dentist license after years of fighting for women's rights. She became the first female dental expert not only in France but also in Europe by opening her dental practice and successfully practicing dentistry. However, after a few years, France officially banned women from dental studies. In the early 19th century, Madame Ana had a successful career as a "dentist for women" at a clinic in Paris and was the dentist of the royal Marie-Thérèse, Duchess of Angoulême.
Estonia: Josephine Serre
The first woman in Europe to graduate from university studies with a medical profile and specialization in dentistry was Josephine Serre. She did so in 1814 at the University of Tartu, located in Estonia, one of the most promising provinces under the reign of Russian Tsar Alexander I.
Spain: Polonia Sanz y Ferrer
The first qualified woman to practice dentistry in Spain was Polonia Sanz y Ferrer. In 1849 she was issued a license in Valencia, which was confirmed after an examination to practice dentistry, such as “clean the teeth, extract teeth and molars and practice the other operations that correspond to the dentist.“ Active in Madrid, she was met with great resistance from male colleagues and was forced to defend herself in public. Among her clients were the Moroccan prince Muley el Abbas. In 1852 She also published a work about dentistry, entitled "Treatise on Teeth", aimed at her clientele to instruct them on the care of the mouth and teeth, according to the usage of the time.
United Kingdom: Mrs.Hunter, Mrs, de St.Raymond and Lillian Murray and others
During the 18th century, several female dentists, including Hannah Crippen, Mrs. Lewis, Mrs. Raymond, La Signora Foggioni, and Catherine Madden, practiced in London. Parisien dentist Madame Declaux, who moved to London, was known for her „light touch“ and from historical documents we know she supplied an opiate for toothache and elixir to cure scurvy of the gums. Mrs.Hunter was pioneering with prosthetics and orthodontics. She was assuring her patients that the teeth she supplied would perform the function of the natural teeth without impairing speech and breath. She understood the esthetic function of the teeth also as very important and regulated the teeth of children. An interesting procedure was used by Mrs. de St. Raymond: She was transplanting healthy teeth from poor women to the mouths of rich ladies.
The first woman to graduate the dental formal education in Britain was Lillian Murray. That happened in 1895. Even if it was the late 19th century, she still could not get licensed in London, as the Royal College did not allow women to do so, so she went to Edinburgh. Here, it was also not without difficulties. Known is the sentence that famous Scottish surgeon, Sir Henry Littlejohn said to her: „I am afraid, madam, you are taking the bread out of some poor fellowś mouth.“ In 1946, Lilian Murray, who would be known as Dr. Lilian Lindsay, was elected the first woman president of the British Dental Association.
Germany: Henriette Hirschfeld-Tiburtius
The first licensed female dentist in Germany, Henriette Hirschfeld-Tiburtius, had to travel overseas to fulfill her dream of becoming a dentist. As there were no dental schools in Germany when she wished to attend, Henriette Hirschfeld-Tiburtius attended the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery graduating in 1869. She was the first woman to take a full college course in dentistry. Having been assured by the Minister of Public Instruction in Germany that she would be allowed to practice in Germany if she earned her diploma in America, Henriette began a dental practice in Berlin. There the crown princess of Germany hired Henriette for her nursery.
Sweden: Maria Briwolski and Amalia Assur
One of the first Swedish female dentists was Maria Briwolski who had a practice in 18th-century Stockholm. The first licensed female dentist was Amalia Assur, in the 19th century. Amalia was the daughter of the Jewish dentist Joel Assur, the Dentist of the Royal Family. He provided her the education and she was active as his assistant early on. Assur was eventually reported to the authorities for practicing without a license. In 1852, she was given special dispensation from the Royal Board of Health to practice independently as a dentist. The permission was a personal dispensation, because the profession of dentistry was formally banned for women, and she was, therefore, a special exception rather than a pioneer for other women, as the profession was still prohibited for women. The first „standardly“ licensed Swedish female dentist was Rosalie Fougelberg, who received her diploma in 1866. Fougelberg was the personal dentist of the Queen, Louise of the Netherlands
Norway: Petra Lie
Petra Lie took her dentist degree in 1872 as the first woman in her country. She had a successful practice in Oslo and was the first Norwegian dentist to use a drilling machine.
Dental suffragettes from other European countries and the year they accomplished formal dental education:
Josepha Serre (Poland, 1813)
Maria Nazon (Russia, 1829)
Virginie Waltjen-Stadelmann (Netherlands, 1885)
Hedvig Eleonora Stahlberg (Finland, 1887)
Mathilde Heumann (Switzerland, 1887)
Nicoline Møller (Denmark, 1888)
Eliza Karakatsani (Greece, 1895)
Yurdanka Kaldaramova-Senkova (Bulgaria, 1901)
Gizella Barát (Hungary, 1910)
Štepánka Líčková (Czechia, 1910)
Martha Wolf (Austria, 1912)
Thyra Loftsson, née Lange (Iceland, 1925)
Elena Venturi (Italy, n/a)
SOURCES:
https://www.healthyhildegard.com/hildegard-of-bingen-biography/ https://dbe.rah.es/biografias/67851/polonia-sanz-y-ferrer https://guides.library.upenn.edu/ld.php?content_id=62262708 http://thesmilecenterusa.com/blog/i-am-woman-hear-us-roar-and-see-us-do-teeth/ https://medichub.ro/reviste-de-specialitate/orl-ro/femei-celebre-in-stomatologie-secolele-xviii-xix-id-7308-cmsid-63 https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/murray-lilian-1871-1959 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_first_female_dentists_by_country
