History of Dentistry

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. That dentistry in some form has been practised from the most ancient times, there seems to be but little doubt, since considerable fragmentary evidence still exists as to the general methods used by the ancients. If we stop to inquire who first extracted teeth, made plates or filled carious cavities we shall find that all such information is Shrouded in the mists of antiquity along with the history of the pyra mids and other relics of early civilization. It should be understood that much that is attributed to ancient writers is more or less uncertain, each writer com piling that which had been written before him and adding thereto his own views. For this reason much confusion exists in regard to the exact source of certain historical data. The Arabians collected considerable medical literature in the early days, and most Of the early medical writings were based on their work. In this way, early medical history has become accepted history rather than reliable or authentic history.