Women outnumber men at Indiana dental school

For the first time in Indiana University (IU) School of Dentistry's 133-year history, women enrolled in the incoming Doctor of Dental Surgery class of 2016 outnumber the men.

A total of 1,662 applicants, 749 women and 895 men, applied for the accepted class of 60 women and 44 men, the school noted in a press release.

Last year also was historic, in that for the first time the incoming class had an equal number of men and women, with 52 each. By comparison, 56 men and 44 women were accepted in 2010 for the class of 2014.

Women dental students were rare prior to the mid-1970s, according to IU: More than 5,000 men graduated from the school between 1880 and 1974, and just 56 women.