University of Puerto Rico School of Dental Medicine

The University of Puerto Rico School of Dental Medicine is the dental school of the University of Puerto Rico. It is located on the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is the only dental school in Puerto Rico. It is accredited by the American Dental Association.

In January 1955 Dr. Harold W. Brown, Ex-Dean of the School of Public Health of Columbia University, submitted his study on the needs of Physicians and Dentists in Puerto Rico (1). This study was conducted at the request of the then Chancellor of the University of Puerto Rico, Graduate Jaime Benitez. The study revealed that the ratio of dentists per capita then in Puerto Rico was one in every nine thousand inhabitants, approximately (1 / 8949). This rate was considered very inferior compared to the United States, by that time, was one in every thousand seven hundred approximately (1.677). In those years, the majority of dentists practicing in Puerto Rico and American school graduates projected that U.S. schools would not increase admissions of Puerto Rican students in the proportions necessary to improve the situation of the small number of dentists in Puerto Rico. Moreover, it is envisioned that for various reasons would be more difficult for Puerto Rican students could gain access to American schools in the immediate future.

As part of this study and in coordination with the College of Dental Surgeons of Puerto Rico were surveyed dentists in Puerto Rico, as a professional class, demonstrating a massive boost to the creation of a dental school in the country. This study concluded that, based on the low ratio of dentists to existing population and the inability to improve it with the option of educating dentists in accredited schools outside the country, there was a need to establish a dental school built with the School of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico. In April 1955, Dr. Harold Hinman, Dean of the School of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico and Dr. Shailer Peterson, Secretary of the Board of Dental Education American Dental Association, signed a statement which recommended the University to delineate plans for developing an educational program to train dental residents of Puerto Rico to meet the oral health needs of the country, based on the advice of East and Brown.

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