Canadian Academy of Periodontology

History of the CAP

By Dr. Malcom Miller

Periodontology in the early years in Canada was essentially something that practitioners learned from other practitioners.

There was a small group led by Dr. Harold Bax, Charlie Williams and Wally Walford, who attempted to formalize the training and recognition of Periodontology in Canada. The first graduate periodontal diploma course was given at the University of Toronto in the mid 1940's.

By the early 1950's, there was an effort to formalize the specialty of Periodontology. This led to meetings that resulted in the formation of the Canadian Academy of Periodontology in Toronto in 1955. The first President of the C.A.P. was Dr. Walace Walford from Montreal.

These early efforts were designed to establish standards of care for Periodontics and provide guidelines for recognition of Periodontology as a specialty of dentistry.

The early meetings of the C.A.P. were held in conjunction with the C.D.A. annual meetings. It was reported that 14 dentists attended the inaugural meeting of the C.A.P. in May 1958.

With formal presentations from the C.A.P., the C.D.A. Board of Governors approved the recognition of Periodontology as a specialty in Canada in October 1958.

In 2024, the Academy remains committed to ensuring the delivery of the highest quality of periodontal care by its members to the Canadian public.