The History of the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry reaches back to 1888, when a class of 22 students started their dental education. The School of Dentistry now trains about 73 percent of Minnesota's dentists and a majority of those in neighboring states.
Twenty-two students and four faculty members composed the University of Minnesota College of Dentistry when it began in 1888 as a division of the Department of Medicine. The college became the School of Dentistry in 1932.
By the 1938-39 academic year, the original three-year program of study had been lengthened to four years, preceded by two years of prescribed undergraduate courses. In 1976, the prerequisites were changed to include three years of undergraduate coursework.