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A review of the archive material held by the School of Clinical Dentistry at the University of Sheffield has revealed how the dental training facilities in Sheffield were arranged before the opening of the Charles Clifford Dental Hospital in 1953. The archive also provides an interesting insight into some of the priorities of dental training in the first part of the last century. This archive information was then supplemented by discussions with four local dentists who qualified in the late 1940s and early 1950s and provides some interesting personal reflections on what it was like to be a dental student during and immediately after the Second World War.

Among Benjamin Franklin's papers was a letter from a young British immigrant, R. C. Skinner, asking for a loan of only twenty dollars to help this young man begin the practice of dentistry in this country. Although we don't know what the great man's response was to this appeal, Skinner went on to achieve fame in his profession. He was the first dentist ever, in this country, to be appointed to a hospital staff; he established the first free dental clinic for the poor; and he authored the first book on dentistry ever published in America, earning him the title "The Father of American Dental Literature." From a newspaper advertisement of 1794, further information has been gleaned about Skinner's practice: he not only did conventional dentistry, but also supplied missing eyes, ears, noses and legs. This was a forerunner of the contemporary subspecialty of prosthodontics termed "maxillofacial prosthetics". An interesting list of Skinner's services and his fees for each, gives us a good picture of what dentistry was like in Colonial America.

Dental programs have evolved from an occasional component of hospitals to fully recognized departments within the structure of most institutions. A review is presented of some of these developments, including the initiation of general practice residency (GPR) programs and training in a residency program as a substitute for the standard licensing examination.

Specialisation and Specialist Training in Dentistry in the UK have been central issues for debate in the last few years. The profession has emerged stronger in understanding the respective roles of the generalist who should remain free to practise across the whole spectrum of dentistry and the specialist who can work in primary and secondary care. The overriding principle is that the patient remains the true beneficiary of a specialised service within the NHS.

As The Hospitals Group of the BDA reach their 50th anniversary their history has become more than a matter of minutes but spans a considerable number of years of impressive achievements and sheer determination. The following account of the Group's history has been extracted from the minutes of their meetings at the BDA and reflects issues that are still prevalent today.

This article is a brief overview of the evolution of the U.S. Air Force Dental Service with special emphasis on the simultaneous development of the specialty of prosthodontics within the Dental Service. Of special note is a review of the outstanding Air Force Training programs and Area Dental Laboratory system.

The development of hospital dentistry in America began in the middle of the nineteenth century with the pioneering endeavors of Dr. Simon Hullihen and Dr. James Garretson who is credited with the development of the specialty of oral surgery. While starting small, the prodigious work of these and other dentists laid the foundation on which modern hospital dentistry would be built. Throughout its establishment, however, hospital dentistry would have to fight for a place in the hospital, not only with the medical community but also from within the dental community. In time though, hospital dentistry would come to have the support of the American Dental Association and the respect of the medical community.