Caroline Louise Josephine Wells

Caroline Louise Josephine Wells (August 1856 – 17 March 1939) was the first professionally qualified female dentist in Ontario, Canada. She was also the first person to provide dental services in mental hospitals in Ontario, and towards the end of her career worked exclusively in these institutions.
Background.
Dr. Barnabas Day organized the Dental Association of Ontario (ODA) in 1867. In 1868 the ODA lobbied the Ontario government to pass the "Act Respecting Dentistry", by which the dentists must be licensed in order to practice. This aimed to end tooth pulling by untrained fly-by-night charlatans. The Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (RCDSO) was formed by ODA members to act as the governing body. In 1869 the RCDSO opened the first dental school in Canada. The first scientific meeting of the ODA was held in 1889 in London, Ontario. By the 1890s enforcement of strict compliance with the ODA code of ethics had almost eliminated false advertising by Ontario dentists.
Dentistry had become a respectable occupation in Ontario.
Life.
Caroline Louise Josephine Irwin was born in August 1856, daughter of Charles Irwin and Catherine Tyson. On 9 March 1877, she married John Wells, a dentist. They had three children. Her husband graduated from dental school as a gold medalist in 1882 but became ill. Relatives took care of the three children while Caroline studied dentistry In 1893 C. L. Josephine Wells became the first woman to graduate from the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario, which made her the first Canadian woman to graduate from a dental school.