Esther Wilkins, RDH, DMD

A pioneer in the field of dentistry, Dr. Esther M. Wilkins has devoted her career to the practice and education of dental medicine. In 1950, she was founding director of the Dental Hygiene Program at the University of Washington, School of Dentistry in Seattle. She developed the curriculum and taught a majority of the courses during the growing stages.

She is currently a Clinical Professor at Tufts in the Department of Periodontology. She also has presented many continuing education courses for dental hygienists in every state in the United States and many countries around the world, and likes interacting with students.
She also is known for having written a widely used textbook “Clinical Practice of the Dental Hygienist.” The book has been translated into several languages and is used in dental hygiene schools around the world.

“That gives me a special outreach in the efforts that are being made to educate all people, especially children, that a healthy mouth is necessary for a generally healthy body,” Esther said.“I am really most proud that I wrote the text book that is used for dental hygiene and I’m working on the 11th edition.”  

She is an active member of the Tufts Dental Alumni Association, the American Dental Association, the American Academy of Dental Science, the American Association of Dental Education and the American Dental Hygienists’ Association.