National Museum of Dentistry
Dentistry Pixabay Public Domain
More officially known as the Dr. Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry, this popular Smithsonian-Affiliate institution was first opened in 1996 to preserve and exhibit the history of dentistry in the United States and throughout the world.
At the NMD, we celebrate the importance of a healthy smile and the unique history of the dental profession.
The museum holds over 40,000 objects inside as well as an expensive archive chronicling the development of professional dentistry. The museum is located at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry and is considered to be the premier institute for researching dental history in the United States. Inside you will see the preeminent cultural repository of dental history and knowledge, with several interactive and educational exhibits about oral health and the history of the dental profession.
Your group can 'find your smile' at the Smile Experience, see familiar sets of teeth in Popular Culture, learn the unique mollusk-related Origins of Teeth, and learn interesting folklore behind teeth such as Narwhal, A Whale of a Tooth. The often-overlooked history hidden behind your smile will be discovered, as will stories of the scientists, tradesmen, and other professionals who have shaped the field throughout its history.
School groups will be able to combine history and oral health to inspire a healthy attitude, foster creativity, and promote critical thinking while exploring dentistry's exciting, and sometimes gross, past, present, and future.
