A legelső fogorvosnők, a kezdet

Abstract

Female professionals’ existence in dentistry is a result of ending slavery, emerging women's movements, progress towards a democratic state and wider dissemination of human rights. It was only at the end of the 19th century that women started their emancipation movement while leaving behind the narrow space of the household and equal to men populated the world of the business. However, it was a long way. Now we follow the life of the very first women in different countries demonstrating the problems they were facing: missing higher education, to be accepted by their patients and male family members. Since Western medicine claimed specific medical education to be a licensed practitioner, women found it much more difficult to enter the medical profession except midwifery. Nevertheless, we found in our research more among the first female dental practitioners who supported their husband, brother or father in their office. These women were brave and determined, tough, smart and hardworking, true heroes who faced all difficulties. They were active this way for a few hundred years, until the 1800s when the first graduated women dentists began practising. These women broke barriers in the world of dental care and demonstrated that dentistry was able to ensure bright smiles for their patients.