Her interest in dental hygiene began her senior year, when one of her professors lectured on public health careers.
[1] After receiving her certificate in dental hygiene, Wilkins took a position with dentist Frank Willis, D13, in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts.
[2] After graduating from Tufts, Wilkins completed an internship in children's dentistry at Eastman Dental Dispensary in Rochester, New York in 1950.
[7] Sponsored by Kodak founder George Eastman, the dispensary offered free dental services to low-income children.
[8] Realizing a need for up-to-date textbooks on dental hygiene, Wilkins began writing and mimeographing handouts for her students.
The book has been translated into many languages, including Japanese, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, and Canadian French,[9] and is used in dental hygiene schools around the world.
[15] In 2004, Wilkins received an honorary degree from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences for her achievements in the practice and advancement of dental hygiene.