DelaCruz,JamaraKylaA.

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HistoryofDentistry
Accordingtothehistoryofhumanityandcivilization,theearliestevidenceof
dentistrywaspracticedbytheIndusValleyCivilizationin7000BC.Evidenceshows
thattheteethcuringwasdoneusingbowdrills,howeveritisonlyassumedthat
theywereoperatedbyskilledbeadcraftsmen.Althoughancient,thesemethods
wereprovedreliableandeffective.
Some6500yearsagoinSlovenia,itwasfoundthatbeeswaxwasusedasa
dentalfilling.Itwasdiscoveredtobetheearliestformofdentalfilling.
Itwasdiscoveredthatinsomeofthewritingsfrom5000BC,atoothworm
wasthoughttobethecauseofcavities.EvidenceofthiswasfoundinSumer,
ancientIndia,Egypt,Japan,China,andinthewritingsofHomer.Thisbeliefwas
carriedontillthe14
th
centuryADbyasurgeonnamedGuydeChauliac.
Inthe17
th
century,theEdwinSmithPapyrusmanuscriptincludedthe
treatmentofseveraldentalailments.However,therecouldalsobesome
manuscriptswrittenasearlyas3000BCthatshowcasethesametreatments.
ThepopularCodeofHammurabioftheBabyloniansshowsevidencethat
toothextractionwasdoneduringthe18
th
century.Itservedasapunishmentfor
thosewhowouldgoagainstthecode.Also,uponexaminationoftheremainsof
someancientEgyptiansandGreco-Romansshowsthattherewereearlyattempts
ofdentalprostheticsandsurgery.
EventheancientGreekscholarsHippocratesandAristotlewrotealotabout
dentistry,whichincludedtheeruptionpatternofteeth,treatingdecayedteethand
gumdisease,extractionofteethusingforceps,andusingwirestostabilizeloose
teethandfracturedjaws.Around700BCitwassaidthatthefirstoneswhoused
dentalappliancesorbridgesweretheEtruscans.Ontheotherhand,inancient
Egypt,Hesi-Rewasthefirstonetobelabelledasadentist.TheEgyptiansnow
usedgoldwiretobindreplacementteethtogether.InRome,CorneliusCelsuswho
wasamedicalwriter,wroteaboutthewidespreadoraldiseasesanddental
treatmentssuchasnarcotic-containingemollientsandastringents.InChina,
duringthereignoftheTangdynasty,theearliestdentalamalgamswere
documentedinamedicaltextbyaChinesephysiciannamedSuKungandthis
tookplacein659,andtheamalgamsappearedinGermanyabout869yearslater.
Upuntilthe19
th
century,Dentistrywasnotconsideredaprofessiondueto
generalphysiciansorbarbersdoingthedentalproceduresthemselves.Duringthe
14
th
century,thedentalpelicanwasinventedbyGuydeChauliac.Thisresembleda
pelicansbeakanditwasusedtoextractteethuptothe18
th
century.Thedental
keywastheninventedbutreplacedonceagainbythemodernforcepsinthe20
th

century.
In1530,thebookArtzneyBuchleinwasthefirsteverbookwhichsolely
concentratedondentistry.In1685,CharlesAllenwrotethefirstdentaltextbookin
EnglishanditwascalledOperatorfortheTeeth.
Duringthelate17
th
andearly18
th
century,therewasahighlyskilledFrench
surgeonnamedPierreFauchard.Hemadegreatimprovisationsofdental
equipmentbygettingideasfromwatchmakers,jewellers,andbarberstousein
dentistry.Hewascalledthefatherofmoderndentistrybecauseofhisfurther
contributionsinuseofdentalfillings,theelementsresponsiblefortoothdecay,for
thediscoveryofmanymethodstoreplacemissingteethusingcarvedblocksof
ivoryorbone.Hewasalsotheoneresponsibleforintroducingbracestocorrect
theteethposition.In1723hepublishedLechirurgiendentisteorTheSurgeon
Dentist.Hisbookwasallaboutoralanatomy,dentalconstruction,andvarious
operativeandrestorativemethods.HesuccessfullymadeDentistrydistinctfrom
thewidercategoryofsurgery.
BecauseofPierreFauchardscontributionstodentistry,thestudybecame
widespreadovernight.ABritishsurgeonnamedJohnHunterpublishedtwo
importantbooks,NaturalHistoryofHumanTeeth(1771)andPracticalTreatiseon
theDiseasesoftheTeeth(1778).HecollaboratedwithaLondon-baseddentist,
JamesSpence.Hespeculatedontoothtransplants.Itturnedoutthatthe
principlesoftransplantationofinternalorgansstillapplied.Hefacilitated
operationswhereinheattemptedtoothtransplants.Hediscoveredthatalthough
thedonorteethwouldnevermatchtherecipientsgums,theycouldlastuptosix
years,andthatwasonegiantsteppingstoneduringthatperiodoftime.
Bythe19
th
century,theprofessioncameundergovernmentregulation.
Source:Wikipedia