In 1907 the University Council established a Special Examination Board for the award of a Diploma in Dental Surgery within the Faculty of Medicine. The first recipient of the Diploma was John Eskdale Fishburn (1894-1972) in 1918 followed by Egidio Lapira (1897-1970) in 1922. The first taught Special Course in Dental Surgery leading to the Diploma in Dental Surgery was from 1933 to 1937 with 8 students (V.J. Salamone, Leone Portelli, Joseph Farrugia, Francis Nassetta, John Mercieca, John J Portelli, Victor Vella Grech and Paul Mifsud).
A new course was started every three years with clinical teaching at the Govt. Dental Dispensary in Strait Street, Valletta. The teaching clinic was moved to the Out Patient’s Building of St Luke’s Hospital Gwardamangia in 1951 until 2007 when it was relocated to its present site at the Teaching Unit of the Dental Department at Mater Dei Hospital. In 1948 the degree of Diploma in Dental Surgery was withdrawn and substituted by the degree of Bachelor in Dental Surgery. Egidio Lapira was appointed to the newly established chair in Dental Surgery in 1943.
The University established the Faculty of Dental Surgery in 1954. Professor J.J. Mangion (1909-1969) was appointed the new Professor and Dean of the Faculty in 1954 until his retirement in 1969.
