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“Many of the practitioners


would have been uneducated, often largely unskilled, barbers, blacksmiths and mountebanks”


Clockwise from left: Sir John Tomes; the Tomes medal, awarded for outstanding service to the dental profession; an instrument table designed by Sir John


provided their patients with greater confidence in their abilities. Thus, by the 1860s, dentists had a professional framework of training


and accreditation, but it still lacked a governance body. This was next on Tomes’ agenda.


An end to backstreet dentistry In the 1870s, Tomes and his colleagues formed the Dental Reform Committee, which lobbied parliament and called for protective legislation. After much discussion and a series of compromises to satisfy the concerns of both physicians and pharmacists, who both felt they had a role to play in the provision of dental services, the Dentists Act became law in 1878. This was the first legislation to control and restrict the practice of dentistry to qualified dentists. As part of this new law, a Dentists’ Register was established the following year and only those listed on the register could use the protected titles ‘surgeon dentist’ or ‘dental surgeon’. John Tomes’ name was the first to be listed on the new register as a mark of recognition for all his work in pushing forward the agenda of professionalisation. The Dental Reform Committee was also aware that a professional


body was needed to police and enforce the new legislation, so in 1879 they called for a nationwide meeting to establish the British Dental Association. Formally established the following year, the BDA duly


elected John Tomes as its first president and he was knighted in 1886 “for eminent services rendered to his profession”. During its early years, the BDA devoted much of its time and efforts to prosecuting those practising dentistry in breach of the Dentists Act. The crafting of a new profession, which involved a journey from


backstreet jobbing dentistry to a respected surgical specialty, had taken less than three decades and had been in large part the project of one man – Sir John Tomes. The professionalisation of dentistry that he led has left a remarkable legacy. The current President of the British Dental Association, Professor Nairn Wilson, has said: “… in the 120 years since [Tomes’] death Britain’s oral health has been transformed. And that’s thanks to the skill and dedication of the dentists who have followed in his footsteps.”


Sources • Royal College of Surgeons


• Dictionary of National Biography • British Dental Journal 218, 270-1, 2015 Dr Allan Gaw is a clinical researcher and writer in Glasgow


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