19 March 2023

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Pioneering women in dentistry

By Valentina Viganò

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Historically, our society has unfortunately always reserved a static role for women, namely that of mother and angel of the hearth of the house. This course began to reverse towards the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries, when some women began to emerge in working fields such as chemistry, mathematics, medicine, engineering and physics. 

Another obstacle to overcome was to mention the new discoveries made by these women in the history books. In fact, these women did not always have the right visibility. As far as dentistry is concerned, this field can boast of female figures who have brought about great innovations and who have left their indelible mark, thus becoming a source of inspiration and struggle to counter gender discrimination and the rigidity of roles within the society.

As a nod to these women pioneers in dental science, Oral Diseases and its Editor in Chief Prof. Giovanni Lodi has dedicated a special issue that came out to coincide with Women's Day, you can find it at this link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/16010825/2023/29/S1

One of the first women who decided to pursue a career in dentistry was Lilian Lindsay, who became the first British woman to practice in the profession in 1895. Lindsay worked primarily in orthodontics and earned her recognition by also becoming the president of the British Society for the Study Orthodontics. She also served as the first female president of the British Dental Association. Lindsay received the highest honors for her contributions to dental science.

Two other women who dedicated their lives to dentistry are Ayşe Şadiye Güvendiren and Hatice Azra Demirelli who were among the first Turkish dentists to overcome barriers and obstacles due to their socio-historical situations. They managed to work in the field of dentistry in Istanbul and they also founded a dental school in Kabul for Afghan girls. These women always tried to fight for the inclusion of women in Turkish dentistry.

Marie Ussing Nylen, using the electron microscope, studied the structure of enamel for research on dental caries. She became an authority in her field and also the first woman to hold the role of scientific director of a research program. Nylen served as president of the International Association for Dental Research.

Gillette Hayden was the third woman to graduate from the dental department of the Ohio Medical University and was also the first woman to hold the position of fellow of the American College of Dentists. Hayden was the third woman to serve as president of the American Association of Female Dentists. Her pioneering spirit and tireless activism extended beyond the confines of dentistry and she and her sister always fought for women's rights.

Terms such as "oral leukoplakia" and "fluorine" refer to the name of Jolan Banoczy and his meticulous studies on the clinical and histological evolution of precancerous oral lesions. Banoczy also undertook studies on fluoride for the prevention of caries and served as president of the Hungarian Dental Association.

Much of the credit for solving answers about the mysteries of dental development goes to Irma Thesleff, who conducted research into craniofacial development and tissue regeneration. She was awarded academic honors by the president of Finland.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, when little was known about HIV, Deborah Greenspan observed white spots of dubious origin with a peculiar histopathology among some men. She described some of these lesions as "leukoplakia hairy.” These lesions were due to the Epstein-Barr virus infection which occurred in the body of people with a very compromised immune system, as occurs with AIDS. She was acclaimed by the entire scientific community around the world and also held research and high-profile roles in academia.

Marjorie Jeffcoat was an extraordinary thinker who conducted the first pioneering studies on periodontology. She was one of the first to investigate the effects of anti-inflammatory agents in periodontal practice.

Many people have silently dedicated their lives to improving those of others, but unfortunately their progress often remained anonymous because they were women. For example, Ani John distinguished herself as the first woman to become faculty Dean of the School of Dentistry in India and also served as president within the Societies of Dentistry and Oral Medicine and Radiology.

Another outstanding career is that of Mirdza Neiders whose research helped to deepen the field of oral cavity microbiology and demonstrated the aggressiveness of the P. Gingival virus that causes periodontal problems. Another woman who helped shape the history of dentistry is Racquel LeGeros, who discovered the application of biphasic calcium phosphate-based ceramics. Her work paves the way for biomaterials research with multidisciplinary approaches.

Anne Haffajee was one of the most productive clinical scientists of all time in the field of periodontology and, despite having a fairly short life, she managed to write several publications that are still held in high regard today. Working with Dr. Sig Socransky, she paved the way for the use of DNA hybridization in the clinical and microbiological research of periodontal disease.

These female dental scientists have broken barriers and distinguished themselves in a field that has traditionally been dominated by men. They created the foundations for future generations of women who will work in the dental field. They are examples of courage, determination, perseverance and excellence, as well as an inspiration for female dentists who want to reach high heights and go above and beyond them.