Nearly 900 alumni and friends of the Loma Linda University School of Dentistry assembled in the Gentry Auditorium on the Loma Linda campus Feb. 9 to commemorate the founding of the school.

“It is an inspiring process to reflect upon the founding of this school—without question, divine inspiration accompanied the entire process,” said Dr. Charles Goodacre, DDS, who currently serves as dean of the school. “The motto of the School of Dentistry, ‘Service is our calling,’ remains our focus as we move into the second 50 years and attempt to represent God in all that we do.”

For decades prior to the establishment of the school, Adventist students found it difficult to complete a dental education as classes and examinations were often held on Saturdays, which Adventist keep as the Sabbath. In 1943, several dentists who were church members organized the National Association of Seventh-day Adventist Dentists, or NASDAD, with the goal of urging the Adventist Church to sponsor a dental school.

Eight years later, the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Administrative Committee recommended that “definite plans be laid at this [1951] Autumn Council for the launching of a Seventh-day Adventist School of Dentistry, to begin operating if possible by September of 1953.” The church pledged $750,000 for the project.

When the school opened on Aug. 30, 1953, there were only two dental faculty and two administrators. The first class of 39 students graduated in 1957. In addition to making it possible for Adventist young people to pursue a career in dentistry, according to Dr. James Crawford, DDS, executive associate dean, “One of the tenets the school was organized under was to develop and create dental missionaries.”

So far, more than 300 alumni have served in dental mission stations in developing countries around the world. These dental clinics have been active in establishing churches and schools, and have assisted in the operation of many hospitals.

“The past 50 years have seen our School of Dentistry develop into one of the premier dental schools in the country,” declared LLU chancellor Dr. Richard Hart, MD. “We have graduated thousands of skilled practitioners, and continue to conduct quality research and provide services to thousands, sending hundreds of faculty, alumni, and students abroad.”