In 1870, the Maharaja of Vijaynagaram first floated the idea of starting a medical college in Lucknow and offered to donate Rs 3 lacs, but due to paucity of funds this was not passed by the Government and the dream of the Maharaja could not take shape. It was in 1905 that, to commemorate the visit of Prince of Wales to India, the Raja of Jehangirabad and Sir Taussuduq Rasool requested the Raja of Ayodhya to persuade Sir James LaTouche, Lt. Governor of United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh) to recommend the establishment of the medical college to the Governor of India. This time the Government gave its sanction but with the condition that the people of United Provinces raise a sum of Rs 8 lacs.
The medical college was formally opened in October 1911, the year when His Majesty King George V and Queen Mary visited India, by the then Lt. Governor of United Provinces - Sir John Prescott Hewett. Every year since 1916, the 'topper' of the Final Professional Examination is decorated with the 'Hewett Medal' in honor of the man who opened the portals of the college to 'Georgians'. Dr. K. S. Nigam was the first Hewett medallist of this college. Col. W. Selby was the first Principal and Professor of Surgery and Lt. Col. C. A. Sprawson was the first physician. To start with the total faculty consisted of 5 professors and 2 lecturers. On the advice of the General Medical Council of Great Britain, a framework of admissions and courses of study was organised. Initially, the college was affiliated to the Allahabad University.
The Dental Wing of the King George's Medical College started as a part of the ENT Department in 1949 with Dr. B. Sampat in charge. It shifted to a separate premesis as a Department of Dentistry in 1952. The department made steady progress with constituent sections of different specialities offering comprehensive dental care to patients under the stewardship of Prof.
T. N. Chawla who succeeeded Dr Sampat. The Dental Department became a full fledged separate faculty in 1980 with the respective sections becoming full fledged departments.
The Faculty of Dental Sciences also made significant contributions in the field of research. A research unit in Periodontology was established under Prof TN Chawla by the Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi in 1965. Fluoride Study and Oral Prophylaxis Study units were established with PL480 grants. Various other research schemes are also in hand under the Faculty.
Dental Departments
- Community Dentistry
- Oral Dental Pathology
- Oral Medicine & Radiology
- Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
- Orthodontics
- Operative Dentistry
- Periodontics
- Prosthodontics
- Pedodontics