[Series: Caries prevention in historical perspective. Early treatment of carious lesions]. / Serie: Cariëspreventie in historisch perspectief. Vroegtijdige behandeling cariëslaesies.

In the Dutch Journal of Dentistry the opinion is often expressed that treatment of carious deciduous teeth is necessary to reduce the risk of dental caries in the permanent teeth. It is clear that early restorative treatment of caries lesions can contribute to the preservation of teeth. The question is whether such a treatment also has a primary preventive impact on other not yet affected teeth. Results of epidemiological research carried out in the period 1960-1980 do not support the view that it does. To combat the 'disease' caries in children restoration of carious teeth alone will not suffice. Professional oral care in young children should be focused primarily on removing the causes of dental caries by insisting on improvements in hygiene and diet.

The dawn of dentistry in the late upper Paleolithic: An early case of pathological intervention at Riparo Fredian.

OBJECTIVES: Early evidence for the treatment of dental pathology is found primarily among food-producing societies associated with high levels of oral pathology. However, some Late Pleistocene hunter-gatherers show extensive oral pathology, suggesting that experimentation with therapeutic dental interventions may have greater antiquity. Here, we report the second earliest probable evidence for dentistry in a Late Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherer recovered from Riparo Fredian (Tuscany, Italy). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Fredian 5 human consists of an associated maxillary anterior dentition with antemortem exposure of both upper first incisor (I1 ) pulp chambers. The pulp chambers present probable antemortem modifications that warrant in-depth analyses and direct dating. Scanning electron microscopy, microCT and residue analyses were used to investigate the purported modifications of external and internal surfaces of each I1 . RESULTS: The direct date places Fredian 5 between 13,000 and 12,740 calendar years ago. Both pulp chambers were circumferentially enlarged prior to the death of this individual. Occlusal dentine flaking on the margin of the cavities and striations on their internal aspects suggest anthropic manipulation. Residue analyses revealed a conglomerate of bitumen, vegetal fibers, and probable hairs adherent to the internal walls of the cavities. DISCUSSION: The results are consistent with tool-assisted manipulation to remove necrotic or infected pulp in vivo and the subsequent use of a composite, organic filling. Fredian 5 confirms the practice of dentistry-specifically, a pathology-induced intervention-among Late Pleistocene hunter-gatherers. As such, it appears that fundamental perceptions of biomedical knowledge and practice were in place long before the socioeconomic changes associated with the transition to food production in the Neolithic.

A Comparison of US and Japanese Dental Restorative Care Present on Service Members Recovered from the WWII Era.

The documentation of dental materials used in the USA during the WWII era is readily available, while references for the Japanese are minimal. It was therefore important to build a photographic database of Japanese restorative care which could be utilized as a comparison tool for the deployed odontologist. The dental restorative care of approximately 400 US and 100 Japanese sets of remains was evaluated. Both countries share many similar restorative techniques to include collared crowns, full-coverage restorations, cantilever bridge/pontics to close spaces; restorative materials such as amalgam, gold, and zinc phosphate (temporary) restorations; and removable prostheses. The dental restorative materials most commonly used by US dentists include the amalgam and silicate cement, while the full-coverage crown was the type of restoration most frequently seen on the Japanese remains. Silicates, porcelain and replaceable crowns, and partial-coverage prepared crowns were not observed on the recovered Japanese remains.

Nazi Dental Gold: from Dead Bodies to Swiss Banks.

On the 23rd of September 1940 SS Reichsfürher Heinrich Himmler, gave the SS doctors orders to collect the gold teeth from the mouths of those killed in death camps. Here we ask: who were the SS dentists who are directly implicated in that collection, what were the figures behind the process and how did the Nazis conduct this retrieval of gold? Here we give the answers for the first time...

Drs. Smith Brothers: dental surgeons of Calcutta.

During the British raj, India attracted dental practitioners from all over the world who set up practices in the Presidency towns of Calcutta, Bombay, Madras and Bangalore. Lured by the abundant opportunity to make good money, these mercenary but courageous dentists counted Viceroys, Indian royalty and political leaders amongst their clients. Some, like the famous American Smith Brothers of Calcutta, were sought after even by the rulers of neighboring countries. Dr. Mark Smith's hazardous visit to the Amir of Afghanistan made worldwide headlines more than 100 years ago for the fabulous fee he was paid for the dental treatment. This paper briefly describes the exploits and experiences of the Smith brothers while in India.

Longing for modern composite materials in the late 1800s.

Restoring teeth in the late 1800s required ingenuity and creativity, as the materials available were a far cry from is presently used. Likewise, restorative preparation designs had not yet been promulgated by GV Black. Concerns about both restorations that contracted due to the nature of the filling material and retention of sound tooth structure in favor of cutting away dentin and enamel in order to place "metal caps" were held by many dentists. While some dental professionals had a vision for the ideal restorative materials, they made do with what they had in an attempt to provide quality dentistry.

Extension for prevention: margin placement.

This article will review the concept of extension for prevention popularized by G.V. Black around the early 1900s. Concepts of extension and prevention have changed over the years with a more informed knowledge of the caries process, improved materials, cutting instruments, and techniques. The reasons for placement of the outline form relative to the tooth morphology, gingival tissue, relationship to adjacent teeth, and the choice of material will be described for all of the materials used in restorative dentistry. Research will be cited to support the scientific basis for outline form placement.

[Cavity preparation and restorative therapy in articles, published by the Fogorvosi Szemle in the last hundred years]. / Az üregalakítás és a tömésterápia 100 éve a Fogorvosi Szemle publikációinak tükrében.

The aim of this review is to overview the development achieved in restorative therapy based on the publications in Fogorvosi Szemle during the past hundred years. The top quality of the restorative therapy was, and still has been the inlay, but nowadays the esthetic inlay -- fixed with adhesive material -- has priority over the gold inlay. The quality of amalgam fillings has been recently improved by using high-copper containing amalgam alloys. The development on the field of adhesive material and methods made it possible to give up the routine use of any conventional base material. The place of gingival wall of the cavity moved from subgingival position into supragingival position. The macro retention has been replaced by micro retention, and nowadays the cavity preparation prefers minimal-invasive techniques.

An original case of tin dental fillings from 18th century northern France.

During the 18th century, France was the leader in the field of dentistry, exemplified by Pierre Fauchard (1678-1761), who was given the title "the father of modern dentistry" for his comprehensive work, Le Chirurgien Dentiste. This paper examines an 18th century dental treatment in a barely 50-year-old male whose body was excavated from Saint Amé's Collegiate Church, Douai, France. This individual had 6 dental restorations, exceptional for that period. All fillings were on the occlusal surfaces of molars and extended at least to the superficial dentin. Panoramic and retro-alveolar radiography confirmed the presence of a radio-opaque filling material, and x-ray fluorescence (XRF) and x-ray diffraction analyses demonstrated the exclusive presence of tin in these restorations.