What was the first article published in the JCDA?

Have you ever wondered about the history of the Journal of the Canadian Dental Association? The modern bilingual JCDA was formed in 1935 from an amalgamation of the Dominion Dental Journal and La Revue Dentaire Canadienne.

The Dominion Dental Journal was founded by Dr. George Beers (from Montréal and the “Father of Lacrosse”). He authored the first article in January 1889 titled “A unique case of regulating teeth” (an early article on orthodontics) where Dr. Beers moves a supernumerary tooth into the place of the central, over the course of a day, using silk ligature! The first volume also includes notification on the founding of the school of Dentistry at the University of Toronto.

The notice, included a grandfather clause, for those already registered with the RCDSO, where a degree would be conferred, “provided that …. he has deposited … the examination fee of five dollars.”

Volume 1, No 2 includes a lead article by none other than J.B. Willmott, Professor of Operative Dentistry (and the first Dean at U of T) on Sensitive Dentin. You can read all of Volumes 1 and 2 at Archives.org. For a more detailed history of the JCDA see the series “a century of service”.