Hesi-Re is the first named “dentist” in ancient Egypt and the world. Scientists performing CT scans on the head of a 2,100-year-old Egyptian mummy also found evidence for cavities being filled with linen, which may have first been dipped in a medicine such as fig juice or cedar oil. ![]() This is either used as an actual filling, or as a splint to keep the tooth in place. Of these are remedies for loose teeth: the tooth in question is filled with a mixture that is akin to a modern day composite filling: a filler agent (ground barley) is mixed with a liquid matrix (honey) and an antiseptic agent (yellow ochre). The Edwin Smith Papyrus, written in the 17th century BC, but which may reflect previous manuscripts from as early as 3000 BC, includes the treatment of several dental ailments, and the Ebers Papyrus, dating to the 16th century BC, contains 11 recipes which pertain to oral issues. ![]() Historical records reveal numerous dental and hygiene procedures practiced by the ancient Egyptians. It endured as late as the 1300s, when French surgeon Guy de Chauliac still promoted the belief that worms cause tooth decay. The idea of the tooth worm has been found in the writings of the ancient Greek philosophers and poets, as well as those of the ancient Indian, Japanese, Egyptian, and Chinese cultures. This is logical, as the holes created by cavities are somewhat similar to those bored by worms into wood. The hypothesis was that tooth decay was the result of a tooth worm boring into and decimating the teeth. The first and most enduring explanation for what causes tooth decay was the tooth worm, as depicted in the ivory sculptures to the left, which was first noted by the Sumerians around 5000 BC. They found that this ancient form of dentistry was both reliable and effective.Īn experimental reconstruction of a bow and flint-tipped drill used to bore through molar teeth found at a Neolithic graveyard in Mehrgarh, Pakistan. Scientists recreated the bow drills using the same natural materials: a stringed wooden bow was tied to a rotating spindle and the spindle was used as a drill with a flint head made to penetrate teeth. Sites in Pakistan revealed dental practices involving curing tooth related disorders with bow drills operated, perhaps, by skilled bead craftsmen. The Indus Valley Civilization yielded archaeological evidence for the earliest use of bow drills in dentistry, dating back 9,000 years. Scientists are not sure how effective this was, but it probably reduced the pain and swelling. The research team suggested that the bitumen and plant matter filler was chosen for its antiseptic qualities used to prevent infection.Ī later example of a dental filling was found in Slovenia in a 6,500-year-old jawbone, which had a cavity deep enough to impact the dentin layer of the tooth – it had been packed with beeswax. According to Dr Benazzi, the fillings most likely served the same purpose they do today: to reduce pain and keep food out of the cavities. Researchers also found plant fibers and hair trapped in the bitumen, which may have been part of the filling material. The holes had tiny horizontal marks that suggested they were drilled out and it appeared that bitumen was added to the cavity at the same time as the drilling. They were spotted inside a pair of 13,000-year-old front teeth and were made of bitumen Each of the individual’s front teeth had a large hole in the incisor surface that extended down into the pulp chamber deep in the tooth. The year prior, Dr Benazzi had made another significant discovery – the world’s most ancient dental fillings. The earliest discovery of dentistry found in Bologna, Italy, dated 14,000 years (Open Access / Scientific Reports ) The infected tooth was found to have been partially cleaned with the flint tools, marking an important development in the history of prehistoric dental surgery treatments. Using scanning electron microscopy, scientists revealed micro-scratches, chipping and cut marks on the tooth caused by sharp flint tools during scratching and levering to attack what would have been a painful cavity. The well-preserved skeletal remains of a young man – dating back around 14,000 years – found in northern Italy in 1988 were pulled out for examination. ![]() In 2018, paleoanthropologist Stefano Benazzi from the University of Bologna in Italy identified the oldest known evidence of dentistry, dating back to the Late Upper Paleolithic. ![]() The study of ancient remains from around the world has demonstrated the ingenuity that existed in the application of surgical and cosmetic dental practices. Dentistry, in some form or another, has been practiced for at least 14,000 years, although tooth extraction and remedies for toothaches probably go back much further.
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