History of Dentistry Timeline

The legend of the worm is found in the Homeric Hymns, and as late as the 14th century AD the surgeon Guy de Chauliac still promoted the belief that worms cause tooth decay.

The earliest dental amalgams were first documented in a Tang dynasty medical text written by the Chinese physician Su Kung in 659; they later appeared in Germany in 1528.

In the 14th century, Guy de Chauliac most probably invented the dental pelican (resembling a pelican's beak), which was used to perform dental extractions up until the late 18th century.

Image source: Guy de Chauliac

The first book focused solely on dentistry was the Artzney Buchlein in 1530, marking the beginning of dedicated dental literature in Europe.

The English physician Thomas Browne wrote A Letter to a Friend around 1656, contributing to medical thought during the period when modern dentistry began to develop.

Image source: A Letter to a Friend

The first dental textbook written in English was called Operator for the Teeth by Charles Allen in 1685, expanding access to dental knowledge for English-speaking practitioners.

Image source: List of dentists

It was between 1650 and 1800 that the science of modern dentistry developed, transforming dental practice from crude extractions to a more scientific discipline.

Despite the limitations of primitive surgical instruments during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, Fauchard was a highly skilled surgeon who made remarkable improvisations of dental instruments, often adapting tools from watchmakers, jewelers and even barbers.

Image source: Pierre Fauchard

Pierre Fauchard, often referred to as the 'father of modern dentistry,' wrote the first comprehensive book on the subject in 1728, titled Le chirurgien dentiste or The Surgeon Dentist.

In 1763, John Hunter entered into a period of collaboration with the London-based dentist James Spence, furthering scientific study of the teeth.

Image source: Killing of Monique and Spencer Tepe

British surgeon John Hunter published Natural History of Human Teeth in 1771, followed by Practical Treatise on the Diseases of the Teeth in 1778 — two important books advancing dental science.

Image source: John Hunter (surgeon)

The first dental college, Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, opened in Baltimore, Maryland, US in 1840. Its associated building opened on 21 February 1828, and today is a dental museum.

Image source: University of Maryland School of Dentistry

The second dental college in the United States was the Ohio College of Dental Surgery, established in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1845.

The Philadelphia College of Dental Surgery followed in 1852, expanding formal dental education in the United States.

Image source: University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine

In the United Kingdom, the first dental schools, the London School of Dental Surgery and the Metropolitan School of Dental Science, both in London, opened in 1859. Until then there had been no formal qualification for providers of dental treatment in the UK.

The British Dentists Act 1878 and the 1879 Dentists Register limited the title of 'dentist' and 'dental surgeon' to qualified and registered practitioners.

Image source: Dentistry

The British Dental Association, formed in 1880 with Sir John Tomes as president, played a major role in prosecuting dentists practising illegally.

Image source: British Dental Association

In 1907, Temple University accepted a bid to incorporate the school, integrating dental education into a larger university structure.

Image source: Temple University

The practice of dentistry in the United Kingdom became fully regulated with the 1921 Dentists Act, which required the registration of anyone practising dentistry and limited the profession to those professionally qualified.

The Royal Commission on the National Health Service in 1979 reported that there were then more than twice as many registered dentists per 10,000 population in the UK than there were in 1921.