Evolution of Dentistry From Ancient Times to Profession (Essay Sample)

History of Dentistry
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History of Dentistry
Introduction
As the practice of general medicine, the earliest practice of dentistry has been dated back to ancient times. A Sumerian text about dentistry believed to be the earliest record of dental practices was dated back to 5000 BC (Weinberger, 1948). This Sumerian text had writings about the etiology of tooth decay. This piece of evidence provides a starting point to the majority of scholars interested in the history of dentistry. Much of the literature available on the subject suggests that majority of the earliest practices of dental health were performed in Egypt.
Ancient Egypt seems to have had not only dental health practices but also other medical procedures. Herodotus, a famous Greek historian, indicated that the practice of medicine in Egypt was split into independent fields, every specialist being in charge of the treatment of a particular disease. Hence, there were many doctors (Herodotus. & De Sélincourt, 1954). Over the years, dentistry has evolved and today people have diverse interests ranging from just the treatment of mild conditions as tooth decay to dental prosthetics. This paper provides a historical account of the dental profession to the present practices. Literature splits the history of dentistry into five historical phases namely; ancient dentistry, dentistry in the middle ages, development of dentistry profession (18th century), dentistry advances in the nineteenth century, and dentistry in the 20th century.
Ancient Origins of Dentistry
Almost all the articles on the history of dentistry indicate that some aspects of the now fully fledged profession began as early as 5000 BC with the majority of these articles acknowledging the contribution of the Sumerian text. However, ancient Egypt takes a great part of the ancient history of the profession. History of ancient Egypt such as the death of Hesy-Re, an Egyptian scribe, commonly called the principal "dental specialist" provides evidence of the earliest reference to a man recognized as a dental expert. An engraving on his tomb incorporates the title "the best of the individuals who manage teeth, and of doctors." This historical evidence has been dated 2600 BC (Ring, 2000).
Egyptian skulls of around 2600 BC contain proof of little openings in the jaw in the region of a tooth's roots. Such openings are thought to have been bored to drain abscesses. This evidence was discovered by Hooton (Forshaw, 2009). He noted two little openings entering the external cortical plate above the mental foramen and toward the anterior root of this tooth. He asserted that because of the upward angulation of the openings, their symmetrical appearance and the clear thickness of the bone they had transversed, the holes were the consequence of man-made drillings to drain pus (Forshaw, 2009). Furthermore, records of dental treatment show up in Egyptian scrolls dating from 1500 BC. Still in Egypt, the Ebers Papyrus text described diseases of the teeth and various remedies of a toothache.
Tooth replacement could also have been practiced in ancient history. Early practice of tooth replacement dates to Phoenicia around 600 BC, where missing teeth were supplanted with animal teeth and were bound with string. Genuine restorative dentistry started with the Etruscans, who lived in today’s central and northern Italy. Various dental bridges and partial dentures of gold have been found in Etruscan tombs. These artifacts date to around 500BC. The Romans, who vanquished the Etruscans, embraced Etruscan society, and dentistry turned into a normal piece of Roman medical practice. As a result Celsus, a Roman writer, composed broadly in his important anthology of medicine on oral cleanliness, stabilization of teeth, toothache remedies, and jaw cracks (Forshaw, 2009). Moreover, Hippocrates and Aristotle expounded on dentistry in around 500BC, including the treating of decayed teeth and gum infection, removing teeth with forceps, balancing of loose teeth using wires and fractured jaws.
Dentistry in the Middle Ages and 17th Century
Although this stage of the evolution of dentistry is regarded as the beginning of actual dentistry, some ancient practices were still being done. Around the year, 400 AD, pertinent to the stipulation of the Qur'an, preventive dentistry through strict adherence to oral cleanliness became an important Islamic practice. Early Arabic doctors, for example, Avicenna and Abū al-Qāsim, wrote about scaling and cleaning of teeth (Guerini, 1909). The Siwak, a primitive type of toothbrush, is utilized for cleaning teeth, most likely since ancient times. A horse-shoe shaped metal instrument is used to rub the tongue as a feature of oral cleanliness (Ring, 2000). There is proof that the early Chinese practiced some noteworthy dentistry as early as the year 700, utilizing silver amalgam as fillings. In addition, Oral drugs were part of the therapeutic practice in other early Asian civilizations, for example, those in India and Japan (Weinberger, 1948).
Around the year 1200, a ‘Guild of Barbers’ was established in France. The barbers, in the long run, developed into two subgroups: specialists who were taught to perform complex surgical operations; and lay barbers, who performed more standard hygienic practices including shaving, and tooth extraction. The latter was later, in 1163, prohibited from undertaking medicine related procedures except shaving (Ring, 2000). Another historical dental health practice from China came up in the year 1498; the invention of bristle toothbrush. These bristles were specially made from stiff hairs which came from the back of the pig's neck (Weinberger, 1948).
An important development in the field of dental care was the publishing of the first book on dentistry (Artzney Buchlein). The book was published in Germany in 1530 and was devoted solely to dentistry. It discussed the barbers and barber-surgeons. This book resulted in the publication of more dentistry work more so on the treatment of oral diseases. A good example of the resulting productions was in France. Ambrose Pare published his 'Complete Works.' Pare’s work incorporated practical information about dentistry, for example, tooth extraction and the treatment of tooth decay and jaw fractures. It is around these years that the history of dentistry in England is notable as the earliest English book on dentistry, The Operator for the Teeth, authored by Charles Allen, was published in 1685.
Development of Dentistry in the 18th and 19th Century
By the 1700s in France, various specialists were confining their practice to dentistry and in 1723, a Parisian specialist, Pierre Fauchard, assembled everyone of what was then known about dentistry in a fantastic book, The Surgeon Dentist. In it, he talked about and depicted all aspects of basic oral anatomy, diagnosing and treatment of dental illnesses, including orthodontics, prosthetics, and oral surgery. Fauchard successfully distinguished dentistry from the bigger field of surgery and along these lines built up dentistry as a distinct profession. He is, as a result, known as the father of modern dentistry.
The 18th century saw much of America’s contributions to the history of the field. By 1730, the United States had turned into the main focus for the development of dentistry. One of the early dental practitioners in America was John Baker from England who settled in Boston in 1763. Different foreigners to follow included Robert Wooffendale, who emigrated from England in 1766 and practiced in New York City. In 1778 Jacques Gardette, a French-born dentist settled in Philadelphia. It is during this period that the first known instance of postmortem dental forensic science was seen. Paul Revere confirmed the death of his companion, Dr. Joseph Warren in the Battle of Breed's Hill, when he recognized the dental bridge that he built for Warren.
In early colonial America, dental health was additionally rendered by artisans, for example, ivory turners. One such artisan was Isaac Greenwood, who started practicing dentistry in 1779 and is thought to be the first American-born dental specialist. His son, John Greenwood, served as George Washington's dental specialist in the 1790s. Another significant contribution to the field of dentistry was the development of the dental chair. In 1790, Josiah Flagg, a conspicuous American dental specialist, built the first known chair made particularly for dental patients. To a wooden Windsor seat, Flagg joins a movable headrest, in addition to an arm expansion to hold instruments (Ledyard, 1897).
The earliest book on dentistry to be written in the United States appeared in 1801 and was composed by Richard Cortland Skinner, a youthful immigrant from England. From 1839 to 1840 three noteworthy occasions in dental practice strengthened dentistry as a genuine profession. In 1839 the primary dental journal, the American Journal of Dental Science was established; in 1840 the principal dental school, the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, was constructed; and in 1840, the main national society of dental specialists, the American Society of Dental Surgeons, was established in New York City. Dental health practices, especially tooth extraction, throughout the history had been known to be very painful due to the lack of analgesics. This was so until the year 1845 when American dentist HYPERLINK "/biography/Horace-Wells" Horace Wells discovered the analgesic properties of nitrous oxide, which he promptly began using while performing tooth extractions. The gas proved to be a good pain killer and is used till now for analgesic purposes.
In 1841, Alabama pioneered the dental practice act, managing dentistry in the United States. The act required the appointment of a dental practitioner to the state's medical board. The ...