The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne
Encyclopedia
First established as the Melbourne Dental Hospital, it opened its doors to patients on 12 September 1890 from rooms at 225 Lonsdale Street above Garton's Horse and Carriage Bazaar opposite the Melbourne Hospital. It was staffed by volunteer dentists who provided free treatment from 9.00-11.00am each weekday.
The new hospital was the result of tireless work by community-spirited Collins Street dentist John Iliffe who rallied support from among his colleagues to provide dental care for what he called 'the deserving poor'. "John Iliffe was an extraordinarily determined man," said RDHM historian Professor Harry Atkinson. "He devoted his life to improving the dental health of Victorians and the education of students and dentists."
The Hospital was soon to move to rooms above WG Apps Undertakers at 239 Lonsdale Street, and then in 1907 moved to space it rented in the newly-built Australian College of Dentistry building at 193 Spring Street.
During the First World War, dental students at the Hospital gave up their lectures and worked 12-hour days to complete 5,000 fillings and 8,000 extractions, readying recruits for military service and giving free treatment to returned soldiers.
At the end of the Second World War the Hospital obtained ex-RAAF huts which it erected behind the Spring Street building and used as a prosthetics department. It wasn't until 1963 that Victoria's first government-funded dental hospital was built in Grattan Street, Parkville.
In 1969 the Hospital's name was changed to The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne and, in 2003, it moved to its current location at 720 Swanston Street Carlton, opposite the University of Melbourne.
Today the Hospital operates seven days a week, with over 400 people a day passing through its doors. It houses the Melbourne Dental School, the Henry Forman Atkinson Dental Museum, the RMIT University Department of Health and Biosciences, and the Cooperative Research Centre for Oral Health Science. It is operated by Dental Health Services Victoria which coordinates the delivery of public oral health services throughout Victoria.
TEACHING FACILITY
The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne works in partnership with The University of Melbourne, RMIT University
and La Trobe University
in the education of dental and oral health professionals.
The new hospital was the result of tireless work by community-spirited Collins Street dentist John Iliffe who rallied support from among his colleagues to provide dental care for what he called 'the deserving poor'. "John Iliffe was an extraordinarily determined man," said RDHM historian Professor Harry Atkinson. "He devoted his life to improving the dental health of Victorians and the education of students and dentists."
The Hospital was soon to move to rooms above WG Apps Undertakers at 239 Lonsdale Street, and then in 1907 moved to space it rented in the newly-built Australian College of Dentistry building at 193 Spring Street.
During the First World War, dental students at the Hospital gave up their lectures and worked 12-hour days to complete 5,000 fillings and 8,000 extractions, readying recruits for military service and giving free treatment to returned soldiers.
At the end of the Second World War the Hospital obtained ex-RAAF huts which it erected behind the Spring Street building and used as a prosthetics department. It wasn't until 1963 that Victoria's first government-funded dental hospital was built in Grattan Street, Parkville.
In 1969 the Hospital's name was changed to The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne and, in 2003, it moved to its current location at 720 Swanston Street Carlton, opposite the University of Melbourne.
Today the Hospital operates seven days a week, with over 400 people a day passing through its doors. It houses the Melbourne Dental School, the Henry Forman Atkinson Dental Museum, the RMIT University Department of Health and Biosciences, and the Cooperative Research Centre for Oral Health Science. It is operated by Dental Health Services Victoria which coordinates the delivery of public oral health services throughout Victoria.
TEACHING FACILITY
The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne works in partnership with The University of Melbourne, RMIT University
RMIT University
RMIT University is an Australian public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. It has two branches, referred to as RMIT University in Australia and RMIT International University in Vietnam....
and La Trobe University
La Trobe University
La Trobe University is a multi-campus university in Victoria, Australia. It was established in 1964 by an Act of Parliament to become the third oldest university in the state of Victoria. The main campus of La Trobe is located in the Melbourne suburb of Bundoora; two other major campuses are...
in the education of dental and oral health professionals.
External links
- www.dhsv.org.au
- Bachelor of Oral Health/Science undergraduate scholarship
- Dental graduate program
- http://www.dhsv.org.au/careers/dental-assistant-traineeships/