31/01/2025
Dentistry is one of the world’s oldest medical professions, dating back more than 9,000 years.
Dentistry is one of the world’s oldest medical professions, dating back more than 9,000 years.
The earliest records of dentistry date to 7000 BCE
By 5000 BCE, Sumerian texts mentioned tooth decay, attributing it to "tooth worms"— an idea that wasn't debunked until the 1700s.
In 1840, the first dental college opened in the U.S., soon followed by the formation of the American Dental Association.
Harvard founded the first university-affiliated dental school in 1867. Meanwhile, dental innovations emerged, such as Colgate’s mass-produced toothpaste in 1873 and toothbrushes soon after.
Interestingly, good oral hygiene wasn’t widely practiced in the U.S. until after World War II, when soldiers brought back brushing habits from abroad.
Learn more: https://www.nature.com/articles/4813555
