Women comprise 50% of new dental class at Ind. Univ.

For the first time in the 132-year history of the Indiana University (IU) School of Dentistry, the newest doctor of dental surgery (DDS) class is composed of an equal number of men and women: 52 men and 52 women.

On August 13, 104 students from 17 states and four nations gathered in Indianapolis to take the professional oath of dentistry and to receive a white coat that will serve as a symbol of professionalism for them throughout their careers in healthcare. The dental school established the ceremony in 2001 as a means of underscoring the importance of ethics and professionalism in dentistry for students at the outset of their dental studies.

Although substantial numbers of women have populated IU's dental classes for the past generation, this wasn't always the case. Between 1879 and 1974, more than 5,000 men and just 56 women earned dental degrees from IU and its predecessor, the Indiana Dental College.

The women in the incoming 2011 class, the DDS Class of 2015, include a pair of sisters -- Marisa and Taylor Kendra o f Highland, IN -- and 2010's Miss Indiana USA, Allison Biehle, of North Vernon, IN.