Alfred Fones

Alfred Civilion Fones (1869 – March 15, 1938) was an American dentist from Bridgeport, Connecticut who has been called the founder of the profession of dental hygiene, starting in 1906. Fones created the name "dental hygenist" and in 1913 established the first school of dental hygiene. Fone's father was also a practicing dentist, and the first "dental commissioner" for the City of Bridgeport. Alfred Fones graduated from the New York College of Dentistry in 1890.

Founding dental hygienist profession

In 1906 (and his cousin), Irene M. Newman, to clean teeth and perform other preventive treatments on children, making her the world's first dental hygienist. Newman's training consisted in large part in learning to clean teeth under Fones' guidance. For teaching aids, Fones took the many extracted teeth from his practice,...
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