Dentistry:: II. Egyptians and Chinese

The first known dentist was an Egyptian named Hesi-Re (3000 B.C.). He was the chief toothist to
the Pharaohs. He was also a physician, indicating an association between medicine and dentistry. In
the 5th century B.C. Herodatus, a historian, described the medical art in Egypt: "The art of medicine
is distributed thus: Each physician is a physician of one disease and no more; and the whole country
is full of physicians, for some profess themselves to be physicians of the eyes, others of the head,
others of the teeth, others of affections of the stomach, and others of more obscure ailments".
Dentistry today is somewhat specialized. The eight specialities are as follows:
1. 1901 Orthodontics
2. 1918 Oral Surgery
3. 1918 Periodontics
4. 1918 Prosthodontics
5. 1927 Pedodontics
6. 1937 Public Health
7. 1946 Oral Pathology
8. 1963 Endodontics
The first evidence of a surgical operation was found in Egypt. A mandible with
two perforations just below the root of the first molar indicated the establishment
of drainage of an abscessed tooth. The approximate date is 2750 B.C.
The splinting of teeth also was practiced by Egyptians; evidence by a specimen
from Cizeh, 2500 B.C. It shows two molars fastened with heavy gold wire.
The Chinese were known to have treated dental ills with knife, cautery, and
acupuncture, a technique whereby they punctured different areas of the body
with a needle. There is no evidence of mechanical dentistry at that time, 2700
B.C., however. Marco Polo stated that the Chinese did cover teeth with thin gold
leafs only as decorations, 1280 A.D. The earliest practice of the prosthetic arts was among the
ancient Phoenicians circa 500 B.C. Hammarabi, ruler of all lower Meso-potamia (1760 B.C.),
established a state controlled economy in which fees charged by physicians were
set. His low code contained two paragraphs dealing with teeth:
"If a person knocks out the teeth of an equal, his teeth shall be knocked out."
"If he knocks out the tooth of a freed slave, he shall pay one third of a mine."
Teeth were knocked out as a form of punishment among these early people.

Dentistry::I - Pre-historic era.

Dental ailments have remained remarkably similar throughout history. Decay, toothaches,
periodontal disease and premature tooth loss were documented in ancient chronicles. The exact
time that dental art made its appearance isn't known; however, there is ample proof of its existence
among the civilizations of Egypt, Etruscans of Central Italy, Assyrians, China, etc. Since Dental
History is such a broad field, a few of the highlights of dentistry will be mentioned in order of
importance and chronology.

A. At the beginning, life consisted of simple creatures of the sea, which consisted of masses of
protoplasmic cells.
B. By engulfing themselves around a desired morsel, they were able to absorb food. Later a slit
developed, the forerunner of the oral cavity and great gut.
C. Much later tentacles and feelers developed around this slit. The tentacles helped to carry the food
to the slit, oral cavity and great gut.
D. Then nature took the outer layer of skin and carried it inward to the oral cavity.
This skin contained tentacles which were the forerunners of our teeth. These tentacles, also called
shagreen, were calcified.
E. Some of these sea creatures developed lungs and became amphibians. Some began to spend time
on land. At first they crawled on their bellies, later they developed limbs and feet and arose from the
ground. Faced with a new environment including a mixed diet, the creatures
evolved into stronger animals made up of hard bone and tough muscle fiber. Originally three single
tentacles fused and became tri-conodonts. These later changed into teeth very similar to
the teeth of the Catarrine Apes (who inhabited the earth about 40,000,000 years ago in the middle of
the Tertiary Period). The descendants of these apes have the same dental formula as man. Somehow
fire and its benefits were discovered. Cooking made sea food more palatable. Fish and shell fish
became the staple diet as well as nuts, fruits, and the flesh of animals. Due to this food supply many
of the tribes of Egypt and China thrived in the river valleys. Later cultivated grains such as rice,
wheat and barley were added to the diet. If we set the beginning of history at 4000 B.C., toothaches
can be traced to the earliest records. In the Egyptian manuscripts known as Eber's Papyri, which
dates back to 3700 B.C., dental maladies such as toothaches and sore gums are mentioned. Also
about 3000 years ago, the Chinese were concerned about the condition of their teeth and gums. In
manuscripts of that period, at least nine dental ailments were listed and also prescriptions for their
treatment. Ancient petrified skulls showed the presence of decay. In the Giza Pyramids skulls were
found with evidence of tooth decay. Be it Asia, Africa or America among the Co-magnon (direct
ancestor of man) who painted walls of caves 20,000 B.C., we find all men suffered their share of
dental ills.
Magic played an important part in the treatment of dental ills, and people of early ages had odd
beliefs concerning teeth. The Egyptians believed that the mouse was under the direct protection of
the sun, therefore if one had a toothache the split body of a warm mouse was applied to the
affected side. In India the cuspid of Buddha was enshrined in a famous temple (at Kandi) and prayed
to in fertility rites. Prayers were offered up to saints for the relief of pain. St. Apollonia of
Alexandria, 249 A.D., was one such saint. She is now the Patron Saint of Dentistry.

Dentistry

Dentistry is the known evaluation, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the soft and hard tissues of the jaw (mandible), the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body. Dentistry is widely considered necessary for complete overall health. Those in the practice of dentistry are known as dentists. Other people aiding in oral health service include dental assistants, dental hygienists, dental technicians, and dental therapists.

Dentistry is that branch of medicine which deals with the study and practice of diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases of the mouth, the maxilla, and the face.

Specialties

Official specialties

In addition to general dentistry, there are about 9 recognized dental specialties in the US, Canada, and Australia. To become a specialist requires one to train in a residency or advanced graduate training program. Once residency is completed, the doctor is granted a certificate of specialty training. Many specialty programs have optional or required advanced degrees such as a masters degree: (MS, MSc, MDS, MSD, MDSc, MMSc, or MDent), doctoral degree: (DClinDent, DMSc, or PhD), or medical degree: (MD/MBBS specific to Maxillofacial Surgery and sometimes Oral Medicine).

• Dental public health (study of dental epidemiology and social health policies),
• Endodontics (root canal therapy and study of diseases of the dental pulp),
• Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology (study, diagnosis, and sometimes the treatment of oral and maxillofacial related diseases),
• Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology (study and radiologic interpretation of oral and maxillofacial diseases),
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (extractions, implants, and facial surgery),
• Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics (straightening of teeth and modification of midface and mandibular growth),
• Periodontics (study and treatment of diseases of the periodontium (non-surgical and surgical), and placement and maintenance of dental implants),
• Pediatric dentistry (i.e. dentistry for children, formerly known as "pedodontics"),
• Prosthodontics (dentures, bridges and the restoration of implants. Some prosthodontists further their training in "oral and maxillofacial prosthodontics"--a discipline concerned with the replacement of missing facial structures—such as ears, eyes, nose, etc.)

Specialists in these fields are designated registrable (U.S. "Board Eligible") and warrant exclusive titles such as orthodontist, oral and maxillofacial surgeon, endodontist, pediatric dentist, periodontist, or prosthodontist upon satisfying certain local (U.S. "Board Certified"), (Australia/NZ: "FRACDS"), or (Canada: "FRCD(C)") registry requirements.

The American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine (ABDSM) provides board-certification examinations annually for qualified dentists. These dentists collaborate with sleep physicians at accredited sleep centers and can provide oral appliance therapy and upper airway surgery to treat sleep-related breathing disorders. While Diplomate status granted by the ABDSM is not one of the recognized dental specialties, it is recognized by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM).

A few other post-graduate formal advanced education programs: GPR, GDR, MTP residencies (advanced clinical and didactic training with intense hospital experience) and AEGD, SEGD, and GradDipClinDent programs (advanced training in clinical dentistry) are recognized but do not lead to specialization.

Other dental education exists where no postgraduate formal university training is required: cosmetic dentistry, dental implant, temporo-mandibular joint therapy. These usually require the attendance of one or more continuing education courses that typically last for one to several days. There are restrictions on allowing these dentists to call themselves specialists in these fields. The specialist titles are registrable titles and controlled by the local dental licensing bodies.

Other specialities

• Dental anesthesiology, the study of how to relieve pain through advanced use of local and general anesthesia techniques is not yet considered to be one of the recognized dental specialties. However, CODA is in the process of accrediting all dental anesthesiology programs.^{[citation needed]}

• Special needs dentistry is dentistry for those with developmental and acquired disabilities. It is a recognized specialty by the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons. It has also been recently recognised as a specialty by the General Dental Council in the United Kingdom. The American Board of Special Care Dentistry is hoping to also obtain accreditation for special needs dentistry by CODA.

• Oral Biology - Research in Dental and Craniofacial Biology

• Forensic odontology consists of the gathering and use of dental evidence in law. This may be performed by any dentist with experience or training in this field. The function of the forensic dentist is primarily documentation and verification of identity.

• Geriatric dentistry or geriodontics is the delivery of dental care to older adults involving the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of problems associated with normal ageing and age-related diseases as part of an interdisciplinary team with other health care professionals.

• Veterinary dentistry, a speciality of veterinary medicine, is the field of dentistry applied to the care of animals.

• Aviation dentistry, a subcategory of (military) aviation medicine deals with dental topics related to aircrews, e.g., dental barotrauma and barodontalgia. In addition, the aircrew population is a unique high-risk group to several diseases and harmful conditions due to irregular work shifts with irregular self-oral care habits and irregular meals (usually carbonated drinks and high energy snacks) and work-related stress.

Courtesy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dentistry