The origin of the term ‘orthodontia’
Orthodontosie and orthodontia
The term ‘orthodontosie’ was coined in 1841 by a Frenchman, Pierre-Joachim Lefoulon, who mentioned it in his book ‘Nouveau traité théorique et pratique de l’art du dentiste’. The term ‘orthodontosie’ roughly translates to ‘orthodontia’ in English. Joachim Lefoulon used an elastic gold arch wire on the palatal side to treat crowding and irregular teeth. The gold arch piano wire exerted a shaping effect on the alveolar process and a spring effect on teeth, which are the essence of the science of orthodontics.
Orthodontics and dentofacial orthopaedics
An English Philologist, Sir James Murray (1909), realised that the suffix ‘ia’ to ‘orthodont’ was more appropriately suggestive of a disease condition (e.g. amnesia) and proposed the term ‘orthodontics’ to represent this discipline better. In 1976, B. F. Dewel suggested a new term ‘dentofacial orthopaedics’, which described the whole compass of an orthodontist’s scope of discipline but essentially the growth modification. The nomenclature of orthodontics and dentofacial orthopaedics is used worldwide, especially in dental schools.
Orthodontics and dentofacial deformities
O. P. Kharbanda replaced ‘dentofacial orthopaedics’ with ‘dentofacial deformities’ to highlight the broader role of orthodontists in addressing malocclusion related to dentofacial structures. This nomenclature encompasses a wide range of malocclusion conditions that orthodontists encounter in clinical practice. The term ‘dentofacial deformities’ is a more appropriate and precise term as it covers the scope of dentofacial malocclusion and eliminates confusion among medical professionals who may consider dentofacial orthopaedics synonymous with maxillofacial trauma. In 2009, Elsevier India published the first textbook titled ‘Diagnosis and Management of Malocclusion and Dentofacial Deformities’.
Dentistry in the era of BC (before christ was born)
The history of dentistry from unknown years to 700 BC was mainly described in Egypt, China, pre-Roman civilization, Hippocrates and Aristotle’s writings, which is tabulated in Table 1.1 . Evidence of dental ailments and their descriptions can be traced back to ancient civilisations like the Indus Valley, Greece and Egypt. The earliest form of dentistry dating back to 7000 BC was discovered in the Indus Valley. The oldest proof of a dental filling was found in Slovenia. Researchers found a 6,500-year-old jawbone that had a deep cavity extending into dentine, which was filled with beeswax. A French surgeon, Guy de Chauliac, believed that worms caused tooth decay. He promoted this belief, which prevailed from the 2600 BC to 1300s AD. The first ever reference to a dental practitioner was found about an Egyptian person named Hesy-Re, as evidenced by inscriptions on his tomb using the term the first ‘dentist’. The epitaph on his tomb mentioned him as an extraordinary person with the title ‘the greatest of those who deal with teeth, and of physicians’. In ancient Egypt, gold wire was used to hold replacement teeth in place, connecting them with the surrounding teeth ( Fig. 1.1 A).
TABLE 1.1
History of dentistry in ancient civilisations BC
| BC | |
|---|---|
| ……. | In ancient ages beyond record, it was believed that worms caused tooth decay. These beliefs have remained prevalent for ages. Sumerians found ivory sculptures depicting worms causing tooth decay. |
| 2600 BC | The first ever reference to a dental practitioner was found about an Egyptian person named Hesy-Re, as evidenced by inscriptions on his tomb using the term the first ‘dentist’. The epitaph on his tomb mentioned him as an extraordinary person with the title ‘the greatest of those who deal with teeth, and of physicians’. |
| 1700–1550 BC | The Edwin Smith Papyrus/Ebers Papyrus is an ancient Egyptian medical text (‘Ancient Egyptian Medicine– Smith Papyrus– Ebers Papyrus’). It is the oldest known surgical treatise on trauma, containing 11 recipes about oral issues. |
| 700 BC | The Etruscans (a pre-Roman civilisation in Italy) travelled far across the seas to gather new information. Around 700 BC, human and animal teeth were the first to be used as prostheses for missing teeth. |
| 500–300 BC | Hippocrates and Aristotle, in their writings, described dental conditions, diseases and treatment. Their writings mention the process of teeth eruption, treatment of dental cavities, diseases of the gum and dental extraction. These also mention an early form of orthodontics, using wire to stabilise loose teeth. |
(A, B) The image is from The National Museum of Dentistry in Baltimore, United States. It displays an example of ‘treatment’ carried out on a mandible at the turn of the 20th century. Vincenzo Guerini, who wrote ‘A History of Dentistry’, made models of ancient dentistry examples he saw during his travels to Egypt. The identified Egyptian mummy is believed to be 2000 years old.
Source: https://museumofrtifacts.wordpress.com/tag/etruscan/
1700–1550 BC. The Ebers Papyrus, is the ancient Egyptian medical Treatise written sometimes before 3000 BC, it is the oldest known surgical treatise on trauma, containing 11 recipes about oral issues.
700 BC. Pre-Roman civilisation: The Etruscans (a pre-Roman civilisation in Italy) travelled far across the seas to gather new information. Around 700 BC, extracted human and animal teeth were the first used as prostheses for missing teeth ( Fig. 1.1 B).
500–300 BC. Greek and Roman dentistry: Around 500–300 BC, Hippocrates and Aristotle wrote about dentistry in their treatises. They mentioned the process of teeth eruption, the treatment of dental cavities, diseases of gums and tooth extraction. Their writings mention an early form of orthodontics involving the use of wire to help secure loose teeth. Around these years, an ancient Greek mummy was found whose mouth was full of cavities, causing a sinus infection. Fortunately, they continued to advance in dentistry, and in 100 BC, Aulus Cornelius Celsus, a Roman medical writer, described oral hygiene and methods to stabilise teeth, manage toothaches, teething pain and even fractures of jaw bones.
The dental profession in AD during the early middle ages
Dentistry, as a profession, began during the early Middle Ages (AD) ( Table 1.2 ). , ,
TABLE 1.2
Landmarks events that changed dentistry in AD up to the 19th century
| AD | |
|---|---|
| 700 | The use of silver paste, like filling material, something close to silver amalgam, is mentioned in a medical text in China. |
| 1210 | Barbers in France formed a GUILD, a union-like group with considerable power. |
| 1530 | In Germany, Artzney Buchlein was the first to publish a book entirely devoted to dentistry. The book, titled ‘The Little Medicinal Book for All Kinds of Diseases and Infirmities of the Teeth’, covers topics such as oral hygiene, drilling, gold fillings and extractions. |
| 1723 | Pierre Fauchard, a French surgeon ( Fig. 1.2 A), better known as the Surgeon Dentist, published a detailed Treatise on Teeth, ‘Le Chirurgien Dentiste, ou Traité des Dents, in 1728, which in English translates into ‘The Surgeon Dentists, Dental Treatise’. Dr Pierre Fauchard is credited with the title of Father of Modern Dentistry. , |
| 1746 | Dr Claude Mouton first suggested using gold crowns and metal posts to be held in the root canal. |
| 1825 | In 1825, Samuel Stockton commenced the commercial production of porcelain teeth through the SS White Company. |
| 1839 | American Journal of Dental Science is the world’s first exclusive dental journal, which began its publication in 1839. |
| 1840 | Horace Hayden and Chapin Harris established the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, which was the first dental school in the world to offer the Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree. In 1923, the school merged with the University of Maryland. |
| 1846 | Dr Horace Wells, a dentist, demonstrated dental extraction under general anaesthesia with nitrous oxide, the laughing gas. His demonstration was regarded as a failure when the patient cried out. A year later, in 1846, another dentist, William Morton, conducted the first successful public demonstration of ether as a general anaesthetic agent for surgery. |
| 1871 | The foot-treadle dental engine used in dentistry was invented and the first commercially manufactured innovation of those times for which a patent was granted. |
| 1895, 1896 | Wilhelm Röntgen, a renowned German physicist, is credited with the discovery of X-rays. In 1896, Dr C. Edmund Kells, an eminent dentist practising in New Orleans, captured the first-ever dental X-ray of a living patient in the United States. |
| 1899 | Dr Edward Hartley Angle proposed three classes of malocclusion based on the sagittal relationship between maxillary and mandibular dental arches. |
Pierre fauchard, ‘the surgeon dentist’
Pierre Fauchard, a French surgeon ( Fig. 1.2 A), better known as the Surgeon Dentist, published a detailed Treatise on Teeth, ‘Le Chirurgien Dentiste, ou Traité des Dents’, in 1728, which in English translates into ‘The Surgeon Dentists, Dental Treatise’. Dr Pierre Fauchard is credited as the Father of Modern Dentistry. His treatise was the first to describe a detailed and comprehensive write-up on dentistry. The topics included basic oral anatomy and function, operative and restorative techniques, and denture construction ( Fig. 1.2 B).
(A) Pierre Fauchard, the Father of Modern Dentistry (1678–22 March 1761).
(Reproduced with permission. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Pierre_Fauchard#/media/File:Portrait_de_Pierre_Fauchard_par_J._Le._Bel.jpg ) (B) Prototype of the bandeau used to align teeth by tying them on a rigid plate.
In 1746, Dr Claude Mouton first suggested using gold crowns and metal posts to be held in the root canal.
The first commercial production of non-metal porcelain teeth was introduced by Samuel Stockton (1825). Samuel Stockton established SS (Samuel Stockton) White Dental Manufacturing Company, which commercially manufactured and supplied porcelain teeth to dentists. SS White Company remained the leader and dominant among dental companies in the dental supply market throughout the 19th century.
The process of vulcanisation invented by Charles Goodyear during the 1840s greatly influenced the dental profession owing to its low cost and ease of moulding rubber to the mouth. The vulcanised rubber soon became the denture base material of choice for making false teeth. The inventors got the patent for the moulding process for vulcanite dentures in 1864. The use of patented technology required an onerous licensing fee by the users. Dental professionals continued to fight for the next 25 years to work without an extraordinary license fee.
The professionalisation of dental education
‘American Journal of Dental Science’ is the world’s first dental journal, which began its publication in 1839. The opening of the first dental school to offer a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree in 1840 in Baltimore, United States marked the professionalisation of dental education. The formal dental school, the first to award a professional dental school degree, ‘DDS’, was founded by Horace Hayden and Chapin Harris in 1840 in Baltimore. It was named Baltimore College of Dental Surgery; this school later merged with the University of Maryland in 1923. The American Society of Dental Surgeons is the world’s first national dental organisation, which was founded in 1840. However, this organisation was later dissolved in 1856.
Between 1845 and the turn of the 19th century, significant inventions in chemistry and physics changed the world of medicine and dentistry. A successful demonstration of tooth extraction using ether, the discovery of X-rays and the synthesis of local anaesthesia, dental drill, foot engine and electric drill are worth mentioning here.
In 1844, Dr Horace Wells, a dentist, demonstrated dental extraction under general anaesthesia with nitrous oxide, the laughing gas. His demonstration was regarded as a failure when the patient cried out. A year later, in 1846, another dentist, Dr William Morton, conducted the first successful public demonstration of ether as a general anaesthetic agent for surgery.
The dental drill
The first dental drill was commercially manufactured as a foot-treadle dental engine under patent by James B. Morrison in 1871. Morrison’s inexpensive, mechanised tool supplied dental burs with a rotational speed which could smoothly cut enamel and dentin with efficiency and speed. In those years of technology, the induction of the foot engine was a revolutionary leap into the practice of dentistry ( Fig. 1.3 ). The concept that emerged from the foot engine was later enhanced with the incorporation of power and rotations with an electric motor which further enhanced efficiency of cutting the hard dental structures. The self-contained electric dental drill with motor and handpiece for which an American, namely George F. Green, was granted a patent ( Fig. 1.4 ).
The first commercially available foot dental drill was introduced in 1871.
Dr Kharbanda used a similar foot engine, during his dental studies at King George’s Medical College, Lucknow, India in the 1970s, which he still possesses.
The dental electric drill that revolutionised restorative dentistry.
Source: https://mcnygenealogy.com/pictures/1300/pic-1440.htm
Discovery of X-rays
Wilhelm Röntgen, a German physicist in 1895, discovered X-rays, which greatly impacted medical practice. The first dental X-ray of a living person was taken in 1896 by a prominent New Orleans dentist, C. Edmund Kells, in United States.
Dentistry in the 20th century
The 20th century witnessed significant changes with the scientific discovery of the formulation of local anaesthesia, the first bonding system, the acid etch technique, high-speed air drills and the most notable concept of osseointegration ( Table 1.3 ). In 1905, German chemist Alfred Einhorn formulated procaine, a local anaesthetic, which was later marketed as Novocain.
TABLE 1.3
Landmarks events that changed dentistry in the 20th century and beyond
| AD | |
|---|---|
| 1905 | A chemist named Alfred Einhorn formulated the local anaesthetic procaine. Local anaesthesia was marketed under the trade name Novocain. |
| 1955 | Michael Buonocore was the first to demonstrate the acid etch technique to enhance the adhesion of acrylic restorative material to the enamel. |
| 1957 | John Borden first introduced a high-speed air-driven contra-angle handpiece. , The air turbine in the handpiece could attain a speed of up to 300,000 rotations per minute. The handpiece was called Air Rotor. Air Rotor device was an instant commercial success for its efficiency, launching a new era of high-speed dentistry. , |
| 1980 | Per-Ingvar Brånemark described the concept and demonstrated the osseointegration of dental implants. , |
| 1990 | The new era of aesthetic dentistry was marked by availability of tooth coloured restorations, increased use of dental bleaching, veneers and implants. |
| 1972, 1988, 1996 | The discovery of the computed axial tomography has revolutionised the 3D imaging of living structures. Computed axial tomography (CT) was invented by British engineer Godfrey Hounsfield of EMI Laboratories, England and South African-born physicist Allan Cormack of Tufts University, Massachusetts in 1972. , |
| 1988, 1996 | The discovery of cone beam CT (CBCT) originated in Verona, Italy in 1988. The NewTom/Maxiscan was the first CBCT system installed in practice in 1996, marking a significant milestone in dental and craniofacial imaging. |
| 1990 | The first dental CAD-CAM was invented in Zurich by Siemens and sold by SIRONA. |
| 1997 | Food and Drug Administration (FDA), United States approved the use of the erbium YAG laser for the purpose of treating tooth decay on dentin. |
| 1998 | The necessity for broad research in dental, oral and facial organs was realised. The thinkers decided to rename the National Institute of Dental Research in Bethesda, Maryland, United States to ‘National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. |
| 2000 | Regenerative dentistry and stem cell research, including banking primary tooth pulp tissue for regeneration, were proposed in the new millennium. |
| 2010 | 3D printing in dentistry, oral and maxillofacial surgery and orthodontics. , |
| 2019 | Agenda of oral health included in universal health coverage (UHC) on 23 September 2019. |
| 2020 | AI (Artificial Intelligence) applications in dental radiology and orthodontic treatment simulation were introduced. , Various treatment guidelines were developed and modified by CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), ADA (American Dental Association), OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and WHO after the sudden spread of SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus 2). |
| 2021 | mOral Health Handbook was released at WHO headquarters in Geneva. |
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