Important Dates

2900 – Ancient Egyptian doctors pioneered the specialization on tooth deceases as evidenced by lower jaw Egyptian fossils.

2700 – Chinese used to treat dental problems by means of needles.

1700 – Evidence of early dental knowledge dating back to 3700 BCE was found in the Ebers papyrus (ancient Egyptian papers).

1300 – Greek physician Aesculapius associated with earliest concept of diseased tooth extraction.

500 – Hippocrates and Aristotle wrote about ointments and heat-sterilized hot wire to treat oral deceases, and also about tooth extraction.

100 – Celsus, a roman medical writer, wrote many papers about mouth diseases and their treatment including the use of narcotic medicines in dental problems.

A glimpse of the future (1600 and 1700's)

1685 – "The Operator for Teeth" was published, the first dental book by Charles Allen.

1728 – "The Surgeon Dentist" was published, a book that described the first vision of dentistry as a modern profession, by Pierre Fauchard.

1785 – John Greenwood, George Washington's dentist, proliferated knowledge about porcelain teeth.

The Enlightening 1800's

1816 - Dental amalgam was developed in Paris by Auguste Taveau.

1839 - Vulcanized rubber was discovered by Charles Goodyear, leading to economical denture bases, formerly made of gold.

1840 - The first use of nitrous oxide as sedative by Dentist Horace Wells; also the first use of ether anesthesia by Dentist Thomas Morton; modern dentistry was invented by Horace Hayden and Chapin Harris, they also founded the first dental school (Baltimore College of Dental Surgery), made the dentistry as a degree, and founded the first dental society of the world (ASDA) which collaborated with the first dental journal proliferating dental knowledge in some parts of the world.

1870s - The filing for large cavities by means of baked porcelain took place.

1866 - The first woman to obtain DDS, Lucy Hobbs, graduated from Ohio College of Dental Surgery.

1871 - James Beall Morrison patented the first mechanized dental drill.

1890 - The microbial basis of dental cavities was first described in Germany by American dentist Willoughby Miller.

1895 - X-radiation was discovered by Wilhelm Roentgen; G.V. Black standardized both cavity preparation and manufacturing process of silver fillings.

1896 - Adaptation of Roentgen's new x-ray for dentistry by Edmund Kells; Dr. Washington Wentworth Sheffield introduced toothpaste tube.

Advancement of Science (1900's)

1900s - Electricity was invented; dental offices began using electricity for some operation

1907 - the introduction of Novocaine into Dental offices in Us by Heinrich Braun; William McTaggart invented "lost wax" casting machine to make precision cast fillings to fill a cavity.

1926 - The Carnegie Foundation issued Gies Report, advising dental schools to become university based.

1929 - Penicillin was invented and later applied as antibiotic for dental infections.

1935 - The recognition of Vitamin C.

1939 - Dentures sent by mail were declared unlawful in the US.

1945 - First fluoridation of drinking water in Grand Rapids, MI.

1955 - The invention of white fillings by Michael Buonocore.

1957 - The invention of high speed pneumatic hand tool for drilling by John Borden.

1958 - First fully-reclining dental chair allowing more convenience in dental procedure was introduced.

1970 - Introduction of electric toothbrush in the US; four-handed" dentistry became commonplace, with dentist and assistant working together for speed and better efficiency.

1980 - Techniques for dental implants developed.

The 21st century

Dentistry included in comprehensive health care.

Relation between oral and overall health is being given more emphasis.

Gene-mediate Therapeutics or changing the genetic structure of teeth to preclude decay. Researchers are now looking for some possibilities in growing new tooth structure.

Computer technology helped in the diagnosis and treatment of dental diseases.

Community helps in the promotion of oral care.

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