Timeline of dentistry
From Timelines
This is a timeline of dentistry.
Contents
Big picture
| Time period | Development summary |
|---|---|
| Ancient times | Dating back to 7000 B.C., dentistry is one of the oldest medical professions. The earliest records on dentistry date back to the Indus Valley Civilization. At around 5000 BC, descriptions related to dentistry and tooth decay become available. At the time, a Sumerian text describes tooth worms as causing dental decay, an idea that wouldn't prove false until the 1700s.[1] |
| 18th century | Dentistry becomes a more defined profession.[1] |
Full timeline
| Year | Event type | Details | Country/region |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7000 BC | Human remains at the Mehgarh Neolithic site in Baluchistan, Pakistan, dating from that time show early evidence of dentistry. Holes in eleven teeth found on the site were intentionally made using ancient flint drill bits. The slight decay on the teeth suggests the patients had their teeth drilled to rid themselves of tooth decay.[2] | Pakistan | |
| 3000 BC | Egyptian high official Hesy-Ra is one of the earliest dental practitioners remembered by name.[2] | Egypt | |
| 384–322 BC | Aristotle writes about dentistry, describing tooth growth, tooth decay, and gum disease. Like Hippocrates, Aristotle also develops treatment methods, such as using forceps to pull teeth and using wires to attach loose teeth.[2] | Greece | |
| 300 BC | The Greeks develop some techniques for addressing tooth maladies.[2] | Greece | |
| 1530 | "In 1530, dentistry profession received attention from the medical community after the publication of the first book specifically on dentistry, "The Little Medicinal Book for All Kinds of Diseases and Infirmities of the Teeth."[2] | ||
| 1575 | "1575, a French surgeon named Ambrose Pare — known as the "Father of Surgery" — published his "Complete Works," which included surgical dentistry techniques."[2] | ||
| 1685 | "In 1685, Charles Allen became the first to publish a dental textbook in English. "The Operator for the Teeth" guided a dental practitioner beyond simply extracting teeth, and it included instructions for helping patients relax before treatment as well as making homemade dentifrice to whiten teeth."[2] | ||
| 1723 | "Called the "Father of Modern Dentistry," French surgeon Pierre Fauchard published "The Surgeon Dentist, A Treatise on Teeth" in 1723. His text included the revelation that sugar caused tooth decay, dispelling the outdated belief that tooth worms and evil spirits were responsible for dental woes."[2][1] | ||
| 1766 | "In 1766, John Baker, a dentist who was trained in England, immigrated to the United States and began practicing dentistry. His most famous patient was George Washington, for whom he created a set of ivory dentures."[2] | ||
| 1840 | The Baltimore College of Dental Surgery (today University of Maryland School of Dentistry) opens, becoming the first dental school in the United States.[2] | United States | |
| 1859 | The American Dental Association is established.[1] | United States | |
| 1867 | Harvard University Dental School is established as an early university-affiliated dental institution.[1] | United States | |
| 1873 | "By 1873, Colgate had mass produced the first toothpaste, and mass-produced toothbrushes followed a few years later."[1] | ||
| 1901 | "Edward H. Angle, who started the first school of orthodontics in 1901, created a simple classification for crooked teeth in the late 1800s, a system still in use today"[1] | United States | |
| 1896 | The first dental X-ray is used.[1] |
Meta information on the timeline
How the timeline was built
The initial version of the timeline was written by User:Sebastian.
Funding information for this timeline is available.
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