In 1866, Lucy Hobbs Taylor became the first woman to graduate from dental school in the United States. Her diploma from the Ohio College of Dental Surgery marked a milestone that required years of persistence before she was even permitted into a classroom.
Taylor’s story has been told and retold in the history of dentistry to generations of dental students, but no less striking today. The profession has come so far in its evolution over the last hundred and sixty years. According to the American Dental Association’s Health Policy Institute, women in the 2025-26 academic year represented 58.1% of U.S. predoctoral dental students — a clear majority!
How the First Woman to Graduate From Dental School Got There
Taylor first hoped to study medicine, but the Eclectic Medical College in Cincinnati refused to admit her. Dentistry was her next pursuit, and the Ohio College of Dental Surgery initially denied her admission for that as well.
Jonathan Taft, dean of the dental college, finally helped to arrange private instruction. That gave Taylor the leg up she needed. She eventually opened her own practice in Iowa and developed a strong professional reputation. The Iowa State Dental Society admitted her in 1865 and helped persuade the Ohio college to reconsider.
After one session of formal study, Taylor graduated in 1866 alongside 15 men. The Ohio Dental Association remarks that upon her graduation, Dr. George Watt, the first president of the ODA, said of Hobbs: “She is a credit to the profession of her choice and an honor to her alma mater. A better combination of modesty, perseverance and pluck is seldom, if ever, seen.”
The lengthy career that followed left a bold mark on dentistry. Taylor later practiced in Chicago and Lawrence, Kansas. She also taught dentistry to her husband, James Taylor. After his death, she became involved in the women’s rights movement.
Women in Dentistry Now Represent the Profession’s Future
The numbers have changed dramatically since Taylor entered a class of 15 men. Women made up just 21.3% of U.S. dental school graduates in 1985. By the class of 2025, that figure had increased to 56.4%.
The practicing workforce is changing too. Women represented 39.4% of professionally active U.S. dentists in 2025, and ADA projections suggest the profession will approach an even gender split around 2040.
These figures capture just a part of the story of her impact. Women in dentistry are also now leading companies, developing technology and shaping professional education. Dentistry Today editor-in-chief Dr. Paul Feuerstein highlights some of those careers in the publication’s regular Women in Dentistry podcast series, which features female founders, CEOs and clinicians working throughout the industry.
Celebrate the Future of Dentistry at Yankee
Lucy Hobbs Taylor had to fight for a seat in dental school. More than 160 years later, women hold a growing share of those seats and an increasingly prominent place in the profession they lead.
The future of dentistry is visible every January at Yankee Dental Congress. Women come to Boston as attendees, educators, exhibitors and industry leaders, sharing expertise while building the next chapter of the profession.
Explore the featured speakers for Yankee 2027 or search our latest course schedule as you plan your trip. Yankee Dental Congress returns January 28–30, 2027 to once again bring the dental community together for three days of education and connection.
FAQs
Lucy Hobbs Taylor became the first woman to earn a DDS degree when she graduated from the Ohio College of Dental Surgery in 1866.
She graduated from the Ohio College of Dental Surgery in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Medical and dental schools of the period commonly excluded women. Taylor received private dental instruction before eventually gaining admission.
Yes. She opened a dental practice in Iowa before receiving her formal dental degree.
Women have represented the majority of incoming U.S. dental students for several consecutive years. In 2025–26, 58.1% of all predoctoral dental students were female.
Women represented 39.4% of professionally active U.S. dentists in 2025.
Dentistry Today publishes a Women in Dentistry series featuring interviews with female dental leaders and entrepreneurs.
Yankee Dental Congress takes place January 28–30, 2027, in Boston.