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The History of the Dental Industry
Early Dentistry
Egypt & Mesopotamia: First evidence of dental treatments, e.g. drilling to treat caries, dentures with gold threads.
Greece & Rome: Hippocrates and Galen wrote about tooth extractions and dental problems. Roman doctors already used forceps and drills.
India & China: Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine treated teeth with herbs, minerals and acupuncture.
Medieval Times
Dentistry was mostly in the hands of barber surgeons who also pulled teeth.
In Europe, knowledge of dentistry was limited and often characterized by superstition.
First prosthetic teeth made from bone, ivory or animal teeth.
Early Modern Period
Dentistry increasingly became a profession in its own right.
Pierre Fauchard, French surgeon (18th century), is considered the father of modern dentistry - his work “Le Chirurgien Dentiste ” (1728) systematically described dental diseases, instruments and treatments.
Development of the first dental fillings and dental drills.
Industrial Revolution & 19th Century
Introduction of porcelain dentures, later vulcanized rubber (Goodyear, 1839).
Discovery of anaesthesia (nitrous oxide, ether, chloroform) revolutionized dental treatments.
First dental practices opened in cities, especially in Europe and North America.
Foundation of dental colleges (e.g. 1840: Baltimore College of Dental Surgery).
20th Century - Technologization & Professionalization
Introduction of X-rays in dentistry (from 1895).
Development of electric drills, filling materials (amalgam, later composites), plastic teeth.
Increasing regulation: dentists needed licenses, dental professional organizations were established.
Emergence of orthodontics and periodontology as specialties.
21st Century - Digitalization & Aesthetics
Digital impressions, 3D printing, CAD/CAM technologies.
Boom in aesthetic dentistry: Bleaching, veneers, smile design.
Increasing importance of dental start-ups, AI diagnostics and tele-dentistry.
Globalization of the dental industry: Large markets in Asia, USA, Europe.
