Diversity and Discrimination in Dentistry: The University of Toronto Faculty of Dentistry.

This article investigates the history of discrimination against women, Jewish, Black, and Asian students at the University of Toronto Faculty of Dentistry from 1921 to 2000. It documents explicit and implicit barriers, including discriminatory admissions practices against Jewish and Asian applicants—particularly in the early 1950s—and daily hostility faced by minority students and women, despite no formal quota against women in admissions. While women were generally encouraged to apply, they remained a small minority due to social, economic, and institutional factors, and experienced a sometimes hostile educational environment. The article highlights the gradual diversification of the dental student body by the 1970s and underscores the ongoing need for inclusive admissions and supportive educational climates to address historical inequities in dental education and the profession.