Dentistry became an organized scientific profession only about 175 years ago. The first dental teaching institution in the world was established in the 1840s in the USA. It was not until the 1920s that a satisfactory local anesthetic was evolved for teeth.
Dentists of old wielded their knives with impunity on conscious patients trembling with fear. Even in 1920s, surgical operations were attended by a formidable rate of mortality and suffering.
Dentists working with meagre anesthetic facilities were feared and avoided. Unfortunately the image of the torturer stuck with the dental surgeon and passed down to the present era of perfectly painless surgery with the evolution of highly effective anesthetic drugs and local anesthetic techniques. What is the status of dentistry today?
Dentistry concerns itself with the teeth, gums, jaw bones, jaw joints and all structures in the oral cavity. It also....
