Oral disease has been a problem for humans since the beginning of time. Skulls of the Cro-Magnon people, who inhabited the earth 25,000 years ago, show evidence of tooth decay. The earliest recorded reference to oral disease is from a Sumerian text (circa 5,000 B.C.) that describes “tooth worms” as a cause of dental decay. No one can deny that dentistry has made tremendous strides over the years.

Things have certainly changed from the Middle Ages to the early 1700’s, when most dental therapy was provided by so-called “barber surgeons.” These jacks-of-all-trades would extract teeth and perform minor surgery, in addition to cutting hair, applying leeches and performing embalming.

Dental practitioners migrated to the American colonies in the 1700’s and devoted themselves primarily to the removal of diseased teeth and the insertion of artificial dentures. In the 1800’s, dental practices included such duties as extracting teeth with a turnkey (a primitive tool like a ratchet wrench, used for extracting teeth), cleaning the teeth with scrapers and removing cavities with hand instruments. The filling materials used then were tin, gold foil, lead and silver. Dentures were carved from ivory or fashioned from the teeth of cattle.

In the past century, human life expectancy has almost doubled and immense changes in quality of life have occurred. Some of the changes that have had a positive impact on dentistry include increased emphasis on personal hygiene; availability of antibiotics, vaccines and fluoridation; improved diets; electricity and heating; the X-ray; and the telephone, computers and the Internet. Present-day dental accomplishments include the use of silver and white fillings, air-abrasion techniques for the filling of cavities and more.

An increase in people over the age of 65 who retain their teeth also has affected dentistry, with more attention being paid to the complex needs of this older population. A more knowledgeable and affluent U.S. population has resulted in an increase in dental visits for an improved smile, in sharp contrast to the reasons for dental visits 100 years ago, i.e., to alleviate pain and restore function. This consumer trend will strengthen in the next century as more people retain their healthy teeth for a lifetime.

Source: Academy of General Dentistry.