# Delta Sigma Delta

Delta Sigma Delta (ΔΣΔ) is an international professional dental fraternity. Founded in 1882, it is the oldest and largest of the professional dental fraternities.

## History

Delta Sigma Delta's inception came when Louis James "Lou" Mitchell and Charles William Howard, dental students at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry in Ann Arbor, were invited to join the medical fraternity Nu Sigma Nu. They declined, instead opting to form the school's first professional dental fraternity.
On November 15, 1882, these two and five others from the dental school met at Mrs. Slattery's boarding house, located at #10 North State Street in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Along with Howard and Mitchell, the fraternity's founders were Francis Eugene Cassidy, Lyndall Llewellyn Davis, Clarence James Hand, Louis Manning "Jamie" James, and Ezra Lincoln Kern. Delta Sigma Delta was the first dental fraternity in the world.
Dr. L. L. Davis established the Beta chapter at the Chicago College of Dental Surgery after establishing his dental practice in Chicago. Within a month of each other, Epsilon chapter was chartered at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, followed by Gamma chapter at Harvard University.
After graduation, the fraternity's founders took positions in multiple cities. This led to the formation of a supreme or alumni chapter, in Detroit, Michigan in 1895.

## Symbols

The Greek letters ΔΣΔ represent the letters D.D.S. of the dental degree, although with a transposed sequence. The fraternity's colors are blue and garnet. Its motto is "Knowledge, Strength, Justice".

## Governance

The Supreme Chapter is the fraternity's administrative or governing body. A Council of Graduate Chapters oversees the graduate chapters. The European Continental Chapter oversees the European graduate chapters and the Australia/New Zealand Chapter oversees the graduate chapters there.

## Chapters

As of 2021, there were 44 active chapters. Undergraduate or collegiate chapters are located at dental schools, while graduate chapters are located in population centers throughout the United States and in Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

### Undergraduate chapters

Following is a list of the collegiate chapters of Delta Sigma Delta, with active chapters indicated in bold and inactive chapters and institutions in italics.
| Chapter | Charter date and rang | Institution | Location | Status |
| Alpha | November 15, 1882 | University of Michigan School of Dentistry | Ann Arbor, Michigan | Active |
| Beta | March 24, 1885 –1993 | Loyola University Chicago | Chicago, Illinois | Inactive |
| Epsilon | February 21, 1891 | University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Active |
| Gamma | March 6, 1891 – 1944 | Harvard School of Dental Medicine | Boston, Massachusetts | Inactive |
| Delta | | | | Unassigned |
| Zeta | November 21, 1891 | UCSF School of Dentistry | San Francisco, California | Active |
| Eta | October 24, 1893 – 2001 | Northwestern University Dental School | Evanston, Illinois | Inactive |
| Theta | February 16, 1896 | University of Minnesota School of Dentistry | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Active |
| Iota | February 16, 1896 – 1908 | University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry | Detroit, Michigan | Inactive |
| Kappa | November 26, 1896 – 1926 | Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Tennessee | Inactive |
| Lambda | January 16, 1897 | Case School of Dental Medicine | Cleveland, Ohio | Active |
| Mu | January 21, 1897 – 19xx ? | Tufts University School of Dental Medicine | Boston, Massachusetts | Inactive |
| Nu | March 15, 1898 | University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Dentistry | Kansas City, Missouri | Active |
| Xi | January 6, 1900 | Indiana University School of Dentistry | Indianapolis, Indiana | Active |
| Omicron | February 15, 1901 – 19xx ? | Saint Louis University Dental School | St. Louis, Missouri | Inactive |
| Pi | October 8, 1901 – 19xx ? | University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine | Buffalo, New York | Inactive |
| Rho | December 9, 1900 | University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry | Chicago, Illinois | Active |
| Sigma | February 5, 1903 | University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Active |
| Tau | February 15, 1901 – 1932 | Ohio College of Dental Surgery | Cincinnati, Ohio | Inactive |
| Upsilon | May 25, 1905 | Washington University School of Dental Medicine | St. Louis, Missouri | Inactive |
| Phi | February 8, 1905 – 1932 | Colorado College of Dental Surgery | Denver, Colorado | Inactive |
| Chi | February 24, 1906 | Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC | Los Angeles, California | Active |
| Psi | April 11, 1907 | Oregon Health & Science University School of Dentistry | Portland, Oregon | Active |
| Omega | April 1, 1910 | Creighton University School of Dentistry | Omaha, Nebraska | Active |
| Alpha Alpha | January 11, 1912 – c. 1990 | Georgetown University School of Dentistry | Washington, D.C. | Active |
| Beta Beta | May 8, 1913 – ≤1977 | University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry | Lincoln, Nebraska | Inactive |
| Gamma Gamma | February 18, 1914 | University of Iowa College of Dentistry | Iowa City, Iowa | Active |
| Delta Delta | | | | Unassigned |
| Epsilon Epsilon | April 29, 1914 | University of Louisville | Louisville, Kentucky | Active |
| Zeta Zeta | June 3, 1917 | Louisiana State University | New Orleans, Louisiana | Active |
| Eta Eta | June 1, 1918 | Marquette University School of Dentistry | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Active |
| Theta Theta | March 26, 1921 | Atlanta Southern Dental College | Augusta, Georgia | Active |
| Iota Iota | | | | Unassigned |
| Kappa Kappa | May 27, 1921 | University of Tennessee College of Dentistry | Memphis, Tennessee | Active |
| Lambda Lambda | May 27, 1922 | Texas A&M University College of Dentistry | Dallas, Texas | Active |
| Mu Mu | July 22, 1926 | Ohio State University College of Dentistry | Columbus, Ohio | Active |
| Nu Nu | November 22, 1926 | University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry | San Francisco, California | Active |
| Xi Xi | May 16, 1931 – 1938 | University of Maryland School of Dentistry | Baltimore, Maryland | Inactive |
| Omicron Omicron | December 16, 1931 | VCU School of Dentistry | Richmond, Virginia | Active |
| Pi Pi | April 29, 1939 | University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry | Detroit, Michigan | Active |
| Rho Rho | September 18, 1945 | Maurice H. Kornberg School of Dentistry | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Active |
| Sigma Sigma | January 14, 1948 | University of Washington School of Dentistry | Seattle, Washington | Active |
| Tau Tau | May 29, 1948 | UTHealth School of Dentistry | Houston, Texas | Active |
| Upsilon Upsilon | April 28, 1951 | UNC Adams School of Dentistry | Chapel Hill, North Carolina | Active |
| Phi Phi | May 24, 1952 | UAB School of Dentistry | Birmingham, Alabama | Active |
| Chi Chi | February 9, 1962 | West Virginia University School of Dentistry | Morgantown, West Virginia | Active |
| Psi Psi | 1963–≤1977 | University of Puerto Rico School of Dental Medicine | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Inactive |
| Omega Omega | December 6, 1969 | UCLA School of Dentistry | Los Angeles, California | Active |
| Alpha Alpha | | | | Unassigned |
| Alpha Beta | March 19, 1973 | Medical University of South Carolina College of Dental Medicine | Charleston, South Carolina | Active |
| Alpha Chi | October 11, 1973 | Dental School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio | San Antonio, Texas | Active |
| Alpha Gamma | 1975–19xx ? | University of Florida College of Dentistry | Gainesville, Florida | Inactive |
| Alpha Delta | May 1, 1976 | University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine | Aurora, Colorado | Active |
| Alpha Epsilon | | | | Unassigned |
| Alpha Zeta | November 15, 1984 | University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine | Farmington, Connecticut | Active |
| Alpha Kappa | May 18, 1985 | Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine | Alton, Illinois | Active |
| Alpha Lambda | September 9, 1995 | University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | Active |
| Alpha Mu | May 17, 1998 | Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | Active |
| Alpha Nu | April 15, 2005 | Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health | Mesa, Arizona | Active |
| Alpha Xi | April 26, 2008 | University of Kentucky College of Dentistry | Lexington, Kentucky | Active |
| Alpha Omicron | 2013 | Midwestern University | Downers Grove, Illinois | Active |
| Alpha Pi | 2013 | Western University of Health Sciences | Pomona, California | Active |
| Alpha Rho | August 23, 2014 | A.T. Still University Dental School | Kirksville, Missiouri | Active |
* ↑ Chapter formed at the Chicago College of Dental Surgery which merged with Loyola in 1923. The chapter closed in 1993.
* ↑ The dental school closed in 2001
* ↑ The dental school closed in the late 1920s
* ↑ The dental school closed in 1971
* ↑ The dental school closed in 1926.
* ↑ The dental school closed in 1991.
* ↑ The dental school closed in 1932.
* ↑ The dental school closed in 1990.

### Graduate chapters

Following is a list of the Delta Sigma Delta international graduate chapters.
| Chapter | Location | Status |
| At-Large | | Active |
| Badger Graduate Chapter | Wisconsin | Active |
| Baton Rouge Graduate Chapter | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | Active |
| Belgium Graduate Chapter | Belgium | Active |
| Canada Graduate Chapter | Canada | Active |
| Cincinnati-Dayton Graduate Chapter | Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio | Active |
| Cleveland Graduate Chapter | Cleveland, Ohio | Active |
| Columbus Graduate Chapter | Columbus, Ohio | Active |
| Denver Graduate Chapter | Denver, Colorado | Active |
| Detroit Graduate Chapter | Detroit, Michigan | Active |
| ECC Graduate Chapter | | Active |
| Georgia Graduate Chapter | Georgia | Active |
| Hawaii Graduate Chapter | Hawaii | Active |
| Holland Graduate Chapter | Holland, Netherlands | Active |
| Indiana Graduate Chapter | Indiana | Active |
| London Graduate Chapter | London, England | Active |
| New England Graduate Chapter | | Active |
| New Orleans Graduate Chapter | New Orleans, Louisiana | Active |
| New South Wales Graduate Chapter | New South Wales, Australia | Active |
| New York Graduate Chapter | New York | Active |
| New Zealand Graduate Chapter | New Zealand | Active |
| North Carolina Graduate Chapter | North Carolina | Active |
| Oregon Graduate Chapter | Oregon | Active |
| Paris Graduate Chapter | Paris, France | Active |
| Pittsburgh Graduate Chapter | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Active |
| Queensland Graduate Chapter | Queensland, Australia | Active |
| Rochester Graduate Chapter | Rochester, New York | Active |
| San Francisco Graduate Chapter | San Francisco, California | Active |
| Scandinavia Graduate Chapter | | Active |
| Seattle Graduate Chapter | Seattle, Washington | Active |
| St. Louis Graduate Chapter | St. Louis, Missouri | Active |
| South Australia Graduate Chapter | South Australia, Australia | Active |
| Texas (East) Graduate Chapter | Texas | Active |
| Twin Cities Graduate Chapter | Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota | Active |
| Virginia Graduate Chapter | Virginia | Active |
| West Virginia Graduate Chapter | West Virginia | Active |
| Western Australia Graduate Chapter | Western Australia, Australia | Active |
| Youngstown Graduate Chapter | Youngstown, Ohio | Active |