dentistry
Care and treatment of the teeth and gums. Orthodontics deals with the straightening of the teeth for aesthetic and clinical reasons, and periodontics with care of the supporting tissue (bone and gums).
The bacteria that start the process of dental decay are normal, nonpathogenic members of a large and varied group of micro-organisms present in the mouth. They are strains of oral streptococci, and it is only in the presence of sucrose (from refined sugar) in the mouth that they become damaging to the teeth. Fluoride in the water supply has been one attempted solution to prevent decay, and several vaccines against it are under development.
| The earliest dental school was opened in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, 1839. An International Dental Federation was founded 1900. |
dentistry - events
| c. 80 | Roman Empire | An epigram of the Roman poet Martial shows that false teeth are used in Rome. |
| 1530 | Germany, Holy Roman Empire | A manual of dentistry is published at Leipzig, Germany – the first methodical approach to the subject. |
| 1844 | USA | US dentist Horace Wells uses nitrous oxide as an anaesthetic to perform painless dental operations. In January 1845 he gives a demonstration in which the patient proves unresponsive. |
| 30 September 1846 | USA | US dentist William Thomas Morton gives the first successful demonstration of ether as an anaesthetic during a dental operation to extract a tooth. He uses it in Boston, Massachusetts, on 16 October, to anaesthetize a patient while removing a tumour from his neck. |
