Robert Tanner Freeman: The First Degreed African American Dentist in The Country

Black history month is here with us again. A time when we celebrate the accomplishments of African Americans — recognizing the central role they played in U.S. history. Top among the achievements of African Americans is the successes they have managed in the American dental/dentistry industry. Most accounts today reveal that the history of blacks and whites in the dentistry industry dates back to the 19th century and at this time; there were more similarities than differences in the level of progress.

In the very early years, dentistry was practiced by way of apprenticeship — like blacksmiths and barbers today. Gradually, an apprentice gained “enough” experience and hands-on skills, then move on to open up their own practices. There were hardly any reliable standards as textbooks, research works and theories were not available to guide the average dentist. Botched care became the order of the day, leading to unhealthy medical practices in the dental industry.

However, this failing did not go unnoticed by the dental community and in 1839, the American Journal of Dental Science — the first dental journal, was published. In addition, the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery welcomed its first dentistry class in 1840. While this was a major inroad in the dental industry, it was in 1867 that the newly founded Harvard Dental School — a part of Harvard University, accepted its first students. Among the inaugural students was the 21 year old Robert Tanner Freeman — a child of slaves.

R. Freeman began plying his trade under the directions of Dr. Henry Bliss Noble — his mentor, who was also a good friend of the first dean of Harvard Dental School, Dr. Nathan C. Keep.

Dr. Noble’s effort in breaking racial barriers was evident in the way he handled Freeman’s longtime interest in dentistry. He owned a dental practice close to the White House, encouraged Freeman to apply, and eventually become a credentialed dentist at a time when there were only 120 African American dentists in the whole of U.S.

Robert Tanner Freeman became the first degreed African American dentist in the country, after which he return to his Washington D.C. hometown where he opened his private practice — in the same building as Dr. Henry Bliss Noble — his mentor.

Unfortunately, what would have turned out to be a long and illustrious career ended abruptly when Dr. Tanner Freeman died, likely from a cholera infection. However, his achievements in the dental industry are well documented, and it has opened up the way for African Americans to thrive in the industry.

The celebration of the black history month is only a major reminder of the present as much as it is of the past. Latest findings have shown that there are not enough black dentists graduating each year to meet the needs of patients.

In fact, a recent study revealed that only about 6 percent of blacks graduate as dentists each year. There is still a lot of room for improvement — and Black History Month provides a sense of encouragement to African Americans that among a few other industries, the dental/dentistry industry is still largely unexplored.