In August 1970, Dr. Frances Twisdale ’68, ’74 (DDS) received a call from the UNC Adams School of Dentistry. Twisdale previously earned a certificate and bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene from the school but was determined to return one last time. After graduating, she found a career in dental hygiene wasn’t enough; she wanted to become a dentist.
A secretary at the dean’s office asked if she could come down to campus. Twisdale, dirtied from mucking out stalls on the small farm she rented outside of Chapel Hill, cleaned herself up and drove to visit Dean James Wyatt Bawdin. He had one thing to tell her: A seat in the dental school had opened up, and it was hers if she wanted it.
Following her visit to campus, Twisdale called her dad back home in Goldsboro, North Carolina. “Daddy, I need to come home, and you need to buy me some clothes. Dental school starts tomorrow, and I have to look nice,” she told him.
Upon graduating four years later, she’d become the first woman to earn both a bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene and a Doctor of Dental Surgery at Carolina and the first woman in the country to win the International College of Dentists Achievement Award.
A recipe for admission
Twisdale grew up in eastern North Carolina where her father served at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in the reserves. Throughout his career, he received superb medical and dental treatment, including routine teeth cleanings. But the idea of going to the dentist for preventive care rather than reactive was foreign to Twisdale; normally, it took a toothache to prompt a visit.
“Well, Fran, here’s what I think you ought to do,” Twisdale recalled her father saying. “I get my teeth cleaned twice a year, and the person who does it makes a good living. You could do that all by yourself and not have anybody else you have to depend on.”
Becoming a dental hygienist and supporting herself is what Twisdale would go on to do. She attended Carolina in the 1960s to complete a certificate in dental hygiene. Afterward, she worked as a dental hygienist but found she wanted additional training. Twisdale returned to UNC-Chapel Hill and earned her bachelor’s degree, also in dental hygiene.
Her aspirations, however, didn’t end with completing a four-year degree. Twisdale found her work, though rewarding, still falling short of her potential. An initial desire to become a dental hygienist transformed into wanting to become a dentist.
She shared her aspirations with administrators at the UNC Adams School of Dentistry. They suggested she take the end courses required of undergraduate students on the premed track so she didn’t have to go back to school for four more years. She took two classes a semester over the course of two years while supporting herself and living on her small farm.
“I absolutely loved what I was doing. And I mean, can you imagine? Renting a place out in the country, having a horse, making enough money to pay your way and trying to get into dental school doing premed?” said Twisdale. “It’s impressive for any woman, especially at that time.”
With no air conditioning at her farmhouse, she would spend many sweltering days outside under a tree studying subjects like organic chemistry and bacteriology.
Twisdale acquainted herself with faculty and staff in the dean’s office and the organic chemistry and anatomy departments, among others. She found time in her busy schedule to make cookies and bring them to their offices — not because baking was her preferred pastime, but because they would help her be remembered.
“I would come and see them right before classes started to remind them that I was still there, and I wasn’t going anywhere,” said Twisdale.
When she finally was accepted, Twisdale made a name for herself as a dental student among her male peers. “They were pretty put out by me,” said Twisdale.
When she won the International College of Dentists Achievement Award, a national award given to graduating dental school students, the award was addressed to a man as no woman had ever been recipient. The award was given to students who gave back to their community — something Twisdale would spend a lifetime doing.
An opportunity open to all
Following graduation, she and her then-husband opened a practice in Wilson, North Carolina. They divided responsibilities based on their interests and expertise, with Twisdale focusing on caring for children and providing operative dental care. What distinguished their practice from other businesses in the town — a place that was still struggling with racial relations — was a commitment to serving the community in its entirety, regardless of race.
“We had a door that was open to everybody,” said Twisdale. “Through the front door, you were welcome in our office.”
After having her third child, Twisdale took a step back from practicing. She continued working in a variety of settings, such as schools and nursing homes, as well as keeping busy with hobbies she still enjoys today.
Now retired, she hopes to support dental hygiene students on the path she once walked. Alongside her husband, Larry Twisdale, who has a doctorate in civil engineering from North Carolina State University, the couple has gifted $625,000 in total to support a dental hygiene student from eastern North Carolina. The scholarship is based on need rather than merit.
“I was lucky enough to get into dental school in just the most bizarre way you could possibly get in,” said Twisdale. “I just want good things to happen with what I did.”
Twisdale’s gift will help ensure that future dental hygiene students are supported throughout their studies, setting them up for success in the field.