A century of modern dental education in Japan: the history of the Tokyo Dental College.

Abstract

At the end of the revolution against the Tokugawa Shogun in 1868, the new Meiji government introduce Western medicine and science into Japan. Dental education, however, was neglected by the new regime. Dr. Kisai Takayama, a Samurai warrior turned dentist, realized this and established the first dental school in Japan in 1890. Meeting a definite need, the school expanded several times and introduced into the country standards which raised Japanese dental education to the level of that in the Western world. In 1990, the hundredth anniversary celebration of the school was held, following the completion of the school's magnificent new campus in 1981 and a new headquarters building in 1990.