Birmingham Dental Hospital & School of Dentistry has a rich history. Opening as Birmingham's Dental Dispensary in January 1858, it is believed to be the oldest dental hospital in the world! The Dental School was formally constituted in 1880, and its qualification was approved by the Royal College of Surgeons in 1881; this formal degree is the oldest in the world, closely followed by Baltimore Dental School (USA) in 1882. The Dental Students Society, BUDSS, is also one of the oldest in the world, first meeting in 1886 - 140 years ago!

BCHC Charity are raising funds for a series of developments within Birmingham Dental Hospital & School of Dentistry at Pebble Mill, to celebrate its illustrious past, educate on the history of the profession, and commemorate its legacy in Birmingham:

1. Projection project with moving imagery of historical locations to provide a living history wall, in collaboration with the Wolverhampton School of Fine Arts

2. Create a museum-style display to house the extensive historical collection of important artefacts for public display in high quality glass cases, for the benefit of the wider community. These artefacts include treadle drills, old instrument boxes, and scans from the Marie Rose skull collection (see images in the gallery for how these may look)

3. Display cases outside the classroom on the second floor and along the side wall to house further parts of the collection, such as anatomical samples which might be stimulating to students but cannot be placed on public display (see images in the gallery for how these may look)

4. Renovation and restoration of the William Bloye shield that used to be on the old hospital at St Chads Queensway

Thanks to internal Dental School donations made separately for our sound board project, we are now able to proceed with the Lecture Theatre images.

We also hope to fund the recording of oral histories, developing stories for the display, participatory workshops, tours for the public, further storage of the remaining more fragile historical items, and access for individuals to the historical collection, to create an engaging and interesting environment for patients, visitors, students and professionals, that demonstrates the amazing impact the hospital & school have had in the city of Birmingham, as well as the dental profession.

Any funds raised over and above the amount needed to complete the above projects will be used by BCHC Charity on other projects, research and innovation related to dental care to enhance patient experience, improve patient care, and support BCHC staff in the Dental Division.