OBJECTIVE: The study sought to determine the relative contribution of Missionary organisations to the development and provision of oral health care in Nigeria. METHOD: Archival sources and other historical documents, internet searches and personal interviews were employed for retrieval of information. RESULT: The Christian missions, particularly the Baptist Mission, Sudan Interior Mission (SIM), the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) and the Roman Catholic had contributed immensely to the provision of oral health care from the beginning of the 20th century. The Baptist Mission in 1907 appointed the first trained dentist in Nigeria, Dr. E. G. MacClean from Canada as “Industrial Missionary”. He had in 1903, before coming in contact with the missionaries, established a private dental practice that extended from Freetown to Lagos. He practised in Shaki, Ogbomoso and Iwo before retiring in 1940. The SIM established dental clinics in Miango, Jos, and Egbe. Dr. W.H. Kray established and worked in the Miango clinic from 1953 to 1968. The clinic is still functional. The first SDA dental clinic was established in Ile-Ife in 1969 but closed in 1976. The SDA still runs functional dental clinics in Port Harcourt and Kano. The Baptist, SIM, and SDA had also sponsored Nigerians for dental training abroad, particularly the United States of America. CONCLUSION: Although Modern Dentistry in Nigeria owed much of its origin to the Missionaries, their relative contributions have not been adequately documented.