Eighteenth-Century Advances in Dentistry
Overview
The eighteenth century, also known as the Age of Enlightenment or Age of Reason, saw dentistry advance from superstition and the showmanship of tooth-drawers to specialists who studied dentistry as a science. During this century France emerged as the leader in the dental field, a position it retained until about the middle of the nineteenth century when the United States became the leader.
The founder of modern dentistry was Frenchman Pierre Fauchard (1676-1761). He initiated a broad spectrum of advances and was the prime mover in establishing France as the front runner of the art. In Germany Philip Pfaff (1715-1767) described the process of tooth decay as originating from particles caught between the teeth. Meanwhile, English surgeon John Hunter (1728-1793) published several book on dentistry. The rise of American dentistry can be traced to the connection of colonial America to France.
Background
Dental problems have not changed much since the beginning of recorded history. Toothaches, decay, gum problems, periodontal disease, and tooth loss are documented in cave paintings and early recorded history. In about 5,000 B.C.ancient Sumerians recorded on clay tables their belief that toothaches were caused by the gnawing of tiny worms.
This is a free page. This page contains 201 words. This
article contains 1,827 words (approx. 6 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Article with our Eighteenth-Century Advances in Dentistry Access Pass.
