A new Museum was opened at Temple University School of Dentistry on March 14th 2003. Featuring the school's unique collection of dental artifacts, the Museum tells the story of the 138 year-old school. From Josiah Flagg to Informatics, a rich collection of photographs, displays of instruments, equipment, personal belongings of students and alumni, and engaging activities, make the school's past, present and future come alive.

The beginnings of dentistry in America are briefly explored through three generations of dentists in the Josiah Flagg family. Featured is Josiah Flagg's Revolutionary War era dental chair, the first known dental chair in the United States. Also included are many dental instruments that belonged to his grandson J. Foster Flagg, who became one of the founding members and faculty of the Philadelphia Dental College in 1863.

Over a dozen decades of the Temple Dental School's educational experiences are depicted throughout the Museum. An original student chair, tools, microscope, dental plates and other student items represent the early years of the school. In later decades, as the school occupied more modern facilities, the instruments that were used, the lecture books, the exams and photographs of students in clinics and the lab show how some things have changed and how others have stayed surprisingly the same.

Within its richly detailed cases, which uses materials evocative of those found historically in the dental office, but with a contemporary feel, the Museum highlights the gems of the school's collection of dental artifacts. A coke-burning porcelain furnace, a Taggert gas-casting machine, early x-ray machines, innovative electric drills, and a Gysi articulator, are just a few of the items that were developed or used by alumni or faculty and contributed to Temple's role in the growth of the dental profession. One of Temple's graduates, Painless Parker, is remembered by his bucket of teeth and other artifacts of his infamous career.

Prominent in the Museum is a Victorian dental office, complete with life-sized figures in a recreated workroom, office and operatory from the pre-electrical years. An audio presentation brings this area to life with conversation and period sound effects. Other interactive exhibits engage the dental community and the general public alike. For example, in a progress of mechanics interactive, visitors are asked to match dental procedures with the appropriate tool. In an oral microbiology interactive, microbes are connected to their effect on the patient. Throughout the Museum, the visitor is entertained, informed and enlightened.