The college founded in 1953 and the objective is to graduate dentists with solid theoretical and clinical experience. The college opened in autumn 1953 as part of the college of medicine with a curriculum of five years study similar to the most respectable colleges in the world.
After the birth of the University of Baghdad in 1956, the college of dentistry became one of its colleges.
The college was composed of 2 buildings with one building having 4 dental units and a laboratory and the second was kept for administrative purposes. In the first year 10 female students and 28 male students were accepted in the college. The teaching staff composed from the medical college staff and Dr. Ali Nasser.
Progress was steady but slow and in 1954 the Orthodontic department was opened. The teaching staff composed of many foreign dentists as Dr. Mahmoud Shah (Pakistani), Dr. Barrett (UK), Dr. Kemp (Holland), Dr, Stevens and Dr. Smenges.
In 1957 the college separate from the medical college and at the same year, the first group was graduated consisting of 21 dentists. After that the graduates were sent routinely abroad for higher studies (especially UK and USA). In 1958 Dr. E J Barrett became the dean later on number of Iraqi dentist who finished their study abroad had joined the college (Dr. Ahmed Othman, Dr. Anwer Othman, Dr. Hussain Ismail, Dr. Aladin Al– Rubayi, and Dr. Yehya Al– Nashe) some of them had higher specialty degrees like Dr. Fadhil Al-Qudsi & Dr. Aziz Rhaemo, in addition to foreign dentists like Dr. Christensen (oral surgery), Dr. Mkenson (conservative dentistry), Dr. Hil (orthodontics), and Mr. Karaitn (laboratories supervisor).
In 1963, Dr. Fadhil Al-Qudsi became the dean of the college & the Iraqi dentist gradually replaced the foreign staff members like Dr. Khalid B. Mirza who was the first Iraqi dentist having the FDS from UK at the year 1965.
At the present day, the college composed of two main buildings (the old building & the teaching hospital), in this hospital about 400 dental units offering treatment for almost 1000 patients treated everyday.