Name Amalia Assur Role Dentist | Died 1889 | |
Amalia Assur (June 8, 1803 – 1889) was the first female dentist in Sweden.
Amalia Assur was born in Stockholm as the daughter of the Jewish dentist Joel Assur, who has been referred to as one of the very first educated dentists in Sweden. Her brother also became a dentist. Amalia Assur never married, and remained a mamsell. She was educated in dentistry by her father and active as his assistant early on. As an assistant dentist, her position was an informal one, and Assur was eventually reported to the authorities for practicing without a license. In 1852, she was given special dispensation from the Royal Board of Health (Kongl. Sundhetskollegiets) to practice independently as a dentist. The permission was a dispensation, because the profession of dentistry was formally barred for women, and she was therefore a special exception rather than a pioneer for other women, as the profession was still prohibited for women. She was active in Stockholm.
In 1861, the profession of dentistry was formally opened to women. The first woman to have been given permission to practice after the profession of dentistry was open to women was Rosalie Fougelberg.