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Dental Research and Management (ISSN: 2572-6978)

Editorial

Beginnings of University Dental Education in Croatia: A Short Historical Review

Livia Brisky

DOI Number: https://doi.org/10.33805/2572-6978.e102

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Published on August, 2016


Abstract

Improvement of biomedical sciences resulted with recognition of dental medicine as  an  independent  profession,  and  establishment  of  dental  schools  in  Europe  and  America.

The  founder  of  dental  high  education  in  Croatia  was  Dr.  Eduard  Radošević.  He  was  born  on  February  22,  1884,  in  Mrkopalj,  Gorski  kotar,  Croatia.  After  finishing  University  of  Vienna,  School  of  Medicine  (1909),  and  specialization  of  dentistry  in  Berlin (1910), he returned to Croatia and opened a private dental office in Zagreb.

In 1921, Eduard Radošević applied for a habilitation in dentistry at the University of Zagreb, School of Medicine with the thesis named Problems of dentistry in the light of  physical  chemistry  [1].  Professors  Committee  of  this  University  awarded  him  with  the  right  of  teaching  dental  medicine  and  dentistry  (venia  docendi)  to  students  of  general  medicine  on  January  20,  1922.  Two  days  later,  on  January  22,  1922,  it  was  
founded  the  Chair  of  Dentistry  at  the  University  of  Zagreb,  School  of  Medicine  and  Eduard Radošević was elected for its first head [1-3]. This date is considered to be the beginning of university education in dental medicine in Croatia [2].

Eduard Radošević was appointed as a director of the new founded University Dental Clinic in Zagreb in 1931 [1]. He wrote numerous scientific and professionals papers which  were  published  in  Croatian  and  international  journals.  Eduard  Radošević  also  published a monograph Physiology and pathology of the teeth in 1935, which represent his  life  work  [1,3].  In  1924,  he  became  an  associate  professor  of  the  University  of  Zagreb,  School  of  Medicine  and  stayed  on  this  function  until  his  death  on  February  6, 1939 [1]. He  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  Ivo  Čupar  (1901-1981),  the  father  of  maxillofacial  surgery  in  Croatia,  who  directed  this  profession  towards  surgery  of  jaw  and  face.  In 1943, Dr. Juraj Kallay (1901-1989) also joined to the Chair of Dentistry [3,4].

Development  of  clinical  dental  medicine  in  the  Dental  Clinic  and  adequate  professional  staff  made  possible  the  foundation  of  Department  of  Odontology  at  the University of Zagreb, School of Medicine [2,3]. The first generation of 47 dental medicine  students  started  their  five  years  study  in  1948,  and  the  first  eight  students  graduated in 1954 [3,5,6].

The  realization  of  independent  School  of  Dental  Medicine  at  the  University  of  Zagreb  was  accomplished  in  1962  [3,7]  with  the  dean  professor  Živko  Bolf  (1894-1982) [3,7-9].

Later,  dental  studies  were  founded  in  other  Croatian  cities.  In  1973,  Study  of  Dental Medicine was opened at the University of Rijeka, School of Medicine [3,10], while University of Split, School of Medicine founded its Study of Dental Medicine in 2007.

References

1. Dumančić  J,  Kaić  Z. Marking  the  90th  anniversary:  Eduard  Radošević,  pioneer  of  university education in dentistry in Croatia (2012) Acta Stomatol Croat 46:176-183.
2. Škrinjarić  I.  Clinical  dentistry  and  the  study  of  dental  medicine  in  Croatia  (2012)  Acta  Stomatol Croat 46:195-201.
3. Kaić Z. Development of dental medicine in Croatia (2002) Acta Stomatol Croat 36:5-18.
4. Knežević G. History of oral surgery (2003). In: Oral surgery. Part 2 Knežević G (edtr.,), Zagreb: Medicinska naklada, Croatia. Pp 1-53
5. Brkić  H.  University  of  Zagreb,  School  of  Dental  Medicine:  65  years  of medicine study (2013) Acta Stomatol Croat 47:2.
6. Brkić  H.  The  first  graduate  doctor  of  dental  medicine  at  the  University  of Zagreb (2013) Acta Stomatol Croat 47:292-296.
7. Keros J. Establishment and development of the School of Dental Medicine at the University of Zagreb (2012) Acta Stomatol Croat 46:166-171.
8. Lapter V. Živko Bolf (on the occasion of the 85th anniversary) (1978) Acta Stomatol Croat 12:99-100.
9. Lapter  V.  In  memoriam.  Prof.  dr.  Živko  Bolf  (1894-1982)  (1982)  Acta Stomatol Croat 16:147-148.
10. Hraste  J.  Dental  medicine  in  Rijeka  up  until  the  founding  of  study  of dentistry (2004) Acta Stomatol Croat 38:147-150.

Keywords

Dental Medicine, Dental Education