| 1884 | Leading dentists establish the Odontological Society of Victoria with the aim of seeking a Dental Act for registration of dental practitioners. They also propose establishing a college and hospital to train dental students and treat the poor. |
| 1887 | The Victorian Parliament passes the Dental Act of Victoria, the first such act in any colony of Australia. |
| 1888 | A Dental Board is formed which lays down educational requirements for individuals wanting to register and practise as dentists. A lawyer, Ernest Joske, is appointed the first Registrar of the Board. |
| 1890 | John Iliffe (1847-1914), a prominent member of the Odontological Society and of the Dental Board, oversees the establishment of a Dental Hospital in Lonsdale St, opposite the old Melbourne Hospital. |
| 1897 | John Iliffe oversees the establishment of the Australian College of Dentistry. It provides tuition to candidates seeking to do the examinations prescribed by the Dental Board to obtain registration. |
| 1902 | The Dental Board registers the first thirteen successful candidates who fulfil the requirements of the Licentiate of Dental Surgery (LDS), issued by the Australian College of Dentistry. |
| 1904 | The Australian College of Dentistry becomes an affiliated college of the University of Melbourne. The degree of Bachelor of Dental Surgery (later Dental Science) becomes available in addition to the LDS. |
| 1907 | The Australian College of Dentistry opens its new building at 193 Spring Street, Melbourne. |
| 1910 | The University of Melbourne institutes the Doctor of Dental Science (DDS) degree on the suggestion of the Odontological Society of Victoria. |
| 1913 | The degree of Doctor of Dental Science is conferred for the first time on four candidates. |
| 1914 | The Dental Graduates Society of Victoria lobbies for a Chair of Dental Science. |
| 1920 | The University of Melbourne Council resolves to establish a Chair of Dental Science. |
| 1924 | Frank Clare Wilkinson, lecturer for the Dental Board of Great Britain and a medical and dental graduate from Liverpool, is appointed first University of Melbourne Professor of Dental Science. |
| 1925 | The Australian College of Dentistry and the Melbourne Dental Hospital become separate entities. They continue to occupy and share facilities in the same building in Spring St., Melbourne. |
| 1926 | The dental course at the University of Melbourne is extended to four years and two terms. |
| 1933 | Professor Wilkinson resigns to take up a Chair at the University of Manchester. |
| 1934 | Arthur Barton Pilgrim Amies (later Sir Arthur) is appointed Professor of Dental Science and Dean of the College and Hospital. In 1955, he is appointed to the new Chair of Dental Medicine and Surgery, remaining in the position until his retirement in 1968. |
| 1936 | The degree of Master of Dental Science is established. It becomes a prerequisite for the degree of Doctor of Dental Science which can now be obtained by thesis only. |
| 1940 - 1942 | During the absence of Dr Amies at the war, Dr William Tuckfield ('Tuckie') - a legendary figure in the profession and long-time editor of the Australian Dental Journal, is appointed acting dean and professor of dental science. |
| 1948 | The University Council establishes two additional chairs, a Chair of Dental Prostheses and a Chair of Conservative Dental Surgery. These are renamed Dental Prosthetics (in 1952) and Conservative Dentistry (1954). |
| 1949 | Dr William Tuckfield is appointed acting professor in dental prostheses and Dr Charles Harold Down is appointed professor of conservative dental surgery. |
| 1951 | The dental course is lengthened to five years. |
| 1953 | Dr Henry Foremen Atkinson from the University of Manchester takes up the Chair of Dental Prosthetics at the University of Melbourne. |
| 1958 - 1962 | Dr Julian Reich, a dental and medical graduate from the University of Melbourne is professor of conservative dentistry. |
| 1963 | The new School of Dentistry and the Dental Hospital open in Grattan St., Parkville, opposite the Royal Melbourne Hospital. |
| 1963 | Dr Elsdon Storey is appointed to the vacant Chair of Conservative Dentistry. |
| 1967 | The affairs of the Australian College of Dentistry are wound up and the freehold of the building in Spring St is given to the State Government. The various dental departments and the Dental School are now fully integrated into the University. |
| 1968 | Professor Atkinson is appointed Dean of Dental Science following the retirement of Sir Arthur Amies. Dr Peter Clarence Reade from the University of Adelaide is appointed to the Chair of Dental Medicine and Surgery. |
| 1974 | Professor Storey is appointed to the new Chair of Child Dental Health. |
| 1977 | Professor Atkinson retires and is made an Emeritus Professor. He takes on the role of honorary curator of the Dental Museum and historian to the Dental School. |
| 1978 | Professor John Gabriel Waterson is appointed to the vacant Chair of Conservative Dentistry. |
| 1989 | Dr Frederick Wright is appointed to the Chair of Preventive and Community Dentistry, a new chair, along with the Chair of Restorative Dentistry formed from the original Chair of Conservative Dentistry. |
| 1990 | Dr Louise Brearley-Messer succeeds Professor Elsdon Storey as professor of child dental health. Her husband, Dr Harold Messer, is appointed professor of restorative dentistry at the same time. |
| 1992 | Dr Michael Eldridge succeeds Professor Reade as professor of dental medicine and surgery. |
| 1992 | Dr John Ferguson becomes director of oral surgery in the Dental Hospital, a clinical post that carries the title of professor. |
| 1994 | Dr Eric Reynolds, a research scientist in the fields of dental caries prevention and mineralisation, is appointed professor of dental science. He becomes head of the School of Dental Science. |
| 1999 | Dr John Clement, from the London Medical College, is appointed foundation professor of forensic odontology attached to the Victorian Institute of Forensic Pathology. |
| 2002 | Dr Martin Tyas, a dental materials researcher, is appointed a professor of dental science. |
