-
10,000 BCE
Tooth decay is noted
-
3000 BCE
First dentist, Hesi-Re, is recorded.
Hesy-Ra is well known for certain, unique titles. The most discussed title is Wer-ibeh-senjw, which can be translated in many ways. Ibeh can be translated as "dentition" and/or "ivory" as well. Senjw is a plural for "arrows", "cutters" and/or "physicians" alike. Thus, the full title Wer-ibeh-senjw can either be translated as "Great one of the ivory cutters" or as "Great one of the dentists". -
Period: 460 BCE to 322 BCE
Written information about tooth decay is recorded by Aristotle and Hippocrates
-
Period: 460 BCE to 377 BCE
Oath of Hippocrates (Hippocrates)
-
Period: 384 BCE to 322 BCE
Attention to Dental Hygiene
Started by Diodes of Carystus -
Period: 1300 to 1368
Hygienic rules established by Guy de Chauliac
Chauliac was a French physician and surgeon who wrote a lnfluential treatise on surgery in Latin, titled Chirurgia Magna. It was translated into many other languages (including Middle English) and widely read by physicians in late medieval Europe. In this -
Period: 1452 to 1519
Leonardo da Vinci studies tooth morphology
In 1489, da Vinci drew "A Skull Sectioned" and was able to show the morphology of teeth -
Period: to
Pierre Fauchard
Pierre Fauchard, born in Saint-Denis-De-Gastines, France, was known as the "father of modern dentistry". He is widely known for writing the first complete scientific description of dentistry, Le Chirurgien Dentiste ("The Surgeon Dentist"), published in 1728. he book described basic oral anatomy and function, signs and symptoms of oral pathology, operative methods for removing decay and restoring teeth, periodontal disease, orthodontics, replacement of missing teeth, and tooth transplantation. -
Period: to
Josiah Flagg invents the dental chair
It is said that Flagg invented the dental chair around the same time that he started dentistry. -
Period: to
Paul Revere places advertisements in a Boston newspaper offering his dental services
Although he was more known for his contribution to the American Revolution, Paul Revere was first known as a Bostonian dentist. Revere used his skills as a craftsman to wire dentures made of walrus ivory or animal teeth into his patients’ mouths. In 1776 he unwittingly became the first person to practice forensic dentistry in the United States -
John Greenwood creates the first dental foot engine, from his mother's spinning-wheel foot treadle
-
James Snell invents the first reclining dental chair
James Snell of London created the first chair that was designed specifically for dental work in 1832. Snell's chair featured both a back and a seat that allowed for minor adjustment. Innovations in dental chair design improved and multiplied, and by the late 1800s, over eighty different chair designs could be found on the market. -
Horace Hayden and Chapin Harris establish the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery
The Baltimore College of Dental Surgery was chartered by an act of the Maryland General Assembly in 1840. Its co-founders, Drs. Horace H. Hayden and Chapin A. Harris have been both inducted in the Pierre Fauchard Academy Hall of Fame. Dr. Harris was the school's first dean and a professor of practical dentistry. Following the death of Dr. Hayden on January 25, 1844, he became the school second president. The College is still in existence today and is part of the University of Maryland, Baltimore -
American Society of Dental Surgeons is established
The ASDS was founded in the same year as the BCDS by Horace Hayden and Chapin Harris -
Alabama enacts the first dental practice act to regulate dentistry
-
Horace Wells discovers that nitrous oxide can be used for dental pain relief
Horace Wells was an American dentist who pioneered the use of anesthesia in dentistry, specifically nitrous oxide. -
American Dental Association (ADA) created
The American Dental Association was founded August 3, 1859, at Niagara Falls, New York, by twenty-six dentists who represented various dental societies in the United States. Today, the ADA has more than 152,000 members, 55 state-territorial and 545 local dental societies. It is the largest and oldest national dental association in the world and is committed to both the public and the dental profession. -
Lucy Beaman Hobbs
Hobbs became the first woman to earn a dental degree from a recognized dental school after graduating from Ohio College of Dental Surgery. At first she was refused admission from dental school, but received private training with a professor at OCDS. -
Dr. Robert Tanner Freeman
Before Freeman was accepted into Harvard University School of Dental Medicine he was rejected by two other institutions because of the color of his skin. Freeman was then accepted after being interviewed by the first dean, Dr.Nathan Cooley Keep alongside five others becoming one of "the first six" to study at Harvard's Dental School of Medicine. Tanner became the first African-American to graduate from that school also becoming the first African-American awarded a dental degree in the U.S.[3] -
James B. Morrison
He patented the first commercially-manufactured foot-treadle dental engine, although it was invented 81 years earlier by John Greenwood -
First "lady in attendence" employed by Dr. C. Edmund Kells
All dental assistants were first known as "Ladies in Attendance" dating back to 1885, when a New Orleans dentist, Dr. C. Edmund Kells, a pioneer in the profession of dentistry, specifically the use of x-rays and treating dental abscesses, incorporated his wife into his dental practice to assist him when needed. Her duties were likely mixing dental materials and cleaning up after procedures. As his practice became more successful, the need for additional help prompted him to hire Malvina Cueria. -
Dr. Ida Gray
Dr. Gray became interested in dentistry when she went to work in the offices of Jonathan Taft, an early advocate for women to learn dentistry. After her apprenticeship in his office, Gray was able to pass the entrance examinations to attended the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. When she graduated, it was widely published that she was the first African American dentist in the United States and she was promoted as a role model for women to follow -
Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen
Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen was a German mechanical engineer and physicist, who, on 8 November 1895, produced and detected electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength range known as X-rays or Röntgen rays, an achievement that earned him the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901.HIs discovery has been used by many dentists to examine patients' teeth and other parts of the mouth. -
"Lost wax" casting machine is invented William Taggert
The lost wax technique originally goes back to ancient times and is believed to have probably originated in China or Egypt. The method was employed to create figurines and objects in gold. Then in 1907, a centrifugal casting machine was invented by William H. Taggart. Although he patented his idea using the lost wax technique, he lost the patent when it was discovered another dentist had written a paper on the same idea some 25 years earlier. -
Fones School of Dental Hygiene is founded
Alfred Fones launched a program to make preventive dental treatment available to schoolchildren in Bridgeport. In 1913 he established a school for dental hygienists. Although he envisioned dental hygienists in doctors' offices, his primary goal was to have them work in schools. Fones raised a total of $46,000 to open the school, which had a first class of 34 women, many of them "mature" women who were school teachers, nurses or doctors' wives. -
American Dental Hygienists' Association was created
The ADHA, founded in 1923, is the largest national United States organization representing the professional interests of more than 185,000 dental hygienists across the country. Dental hygienists are preventive oral health professionals, licensed in dental hygiene, who provide educational, clinical and therapeutic services that support total health through the promotion of optimal oral health. -
American Dental Assistants' Association established
Juliette Southard received permission to allow herself and Jessie Ellsworth, president of the Chicago and Cook County Dental Assistants Association, to attend the 1923 American Dental Association convention held in Cleveland, Ohio. This experience for these women would eventually lead to the election of Juliette Southard as President of the newly formed American Dental Assistants Association in 1924. The Association was officially incorporated on March 17, 1925 in Illinois. -
First dental specialty board is founded, the American Board of Orthodontics.
The organization was first established as American Board of Orthodontia in 1929 and later changed its name to American Board of Orthodontics in 1938. The board was established by the American Association of Orthodontists in Estes Park, Colorado. Albert Ketcham Award was established by the organization in 1935 to give the highest recognition to an individual in Orthodontics. -
First synthetic bristle (nylon) toothbrush appears on the market
Boar bristles were used until 1938, when nylon bristles were introduced by Dupont de Nemours. The first nylon toothbrush was called Doctor West's Miracle Toothbrush. -
Water fluoridation
Water fluoridation begins in the cities of Newburgh, New York and Grand Rapids, Michigan -
Dental Assisting National Board, Inc. (DANB) is established
-
Fluoride toothpaste
The first fluoride toothpastes went on the market in 1950. Fluoride in various forms is the most popular active ingredient in toothpaste to prevent cavities. The additional fluoride in toothpaste has beneficial effects on the formation of dental enamel and bones. -
Four-handed, sit-down is utilized
Four-handed dentistry refers to a dental technique whereby a dental assistant or dental hygienist works alongside a dentist at the same time. This method was instituted to quicken the process and reduce fatigue both for the patient and the dental professionals. -
OSHA is created by Congress
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is an agency of the United States Department of Labor. Congress established the agency under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which President Richard M. Nixon signed into law on December 29, 1970. OSHA's mission is to "assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance". -
Hepatitis B vaccine becomes available
-
Tooth-whitening products become commercially available
There has been interest in white teeth since ancient times.Ancient Romans used urine and goat milk in an attempt to make and keep their teeth whiter. Guy de Chauliac suggested the following to whiten the teeth: "Clean the teeth gently with a mixture of honey and burnt salt to which some vinegar has been added."In 1877 oxalic acid was proposed for whitening, followed by calcium hypochlorite. Peroxide was first used for tooth whitening in 1884. Actual whitening products became available in 1989 -
OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard becomes effective
OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030) as amended pursuant to the 2000 Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act, is a regulation that prescribes safeguards to protect workers against health hazards related to bloodborne pathogens. -
The laser, approved by the FDA, is used to treat tooth decay.
