The University of Mississippi Medical Center’s School of Dentistry is celebrating 50 years of training dental professionals, advancing research and serving Mississippians through outreach that stretches from elementary classrooms to free dental clinics.
“We want to build on the foundation from the last 50 years of the School of Dentistry and continue our commitment to prepare competent, ethical dental health professionals for the state of Mississippi who work to eliminate health disparities and improve health outcomes,” said Dr. Pia Chatterjee Kirk, interim dean of the school.
The effort to establish a dental school began in 1971, when advocates pressed lawmakers to create one. Legislation passed two years later, and in 1974, Dr. Wallace V. Mann became the school’s first dean. That same year, the dental hygiene program— already one of the first three programs offered by the School of Allied Health (now the School of Health Related Professions)— graduated its first class of eight women. By 1975, the School of Dentistry was accredited, enrolled its inaugural students and broke ground on a permanent facility.
On March 6, 2025, the school broke ground on a new clinical building — a fitting symbol of its commitment to the next fifty years. As it celebrates its golden anniversary, the School of Dentistry continues to embody its mission of improving the health of Mississippians by training dentists and hygienists to treat not just teeth, but people.
- Article credit to Magnolia Tribune.
