Dentistry in the Philippines

The practice of extracting teeth has been practiced in the Philippines before the islands became a colony of Spain.[1] Among the early Filipino to act as "dental practitioners" and "curers of toothaches" were barbers. Their crude and "queer methods" of pulling out teeth from patients involved the use of fingers and nail pliers.[2]

During the Spanish regime in the Philippines, dentistry was not recognized as a profession.[1] There were no royal decrees and laws from the Spanish government to govern and guide the practice of dentists. A professional regulating body was also non-existent to oversee the field of dental practice during that time period.[3] At the time, dentists were known as sacamuelas (plural of sacamuela meaning "tooth-puller"). Any person of the time period who were skillful in pulling teeth could become a sacamuela.[2]

The first dentist in Spanish Philippines to open a dental clinic to practice true dentistry was José "Capitan Cheng-cheng" Arevalo.[1] Arevalo was the first Filipino dentist.[2] Arevalo was assisted by his wife who was skilled in "gold craftsmanship".[2] Arevalo's clinic was in Quiapo, Manila. Arevalo later became a partner of Monsiuer M. Fertri, a dentist from France, who opened another dental clinic in Quiapo, Manila[1] in 1858, after residing in Hong Kong.[2] Fertri needed Arevalo's expertise as a prosthetist.[2]

The development of dentistry as a profession started when the University of Santo Tomas offered a special course with a basic curriculum[1] to train cirujano ministrantes[2] (plural of cirujano ministrante, literally meaning "one who administers surgery"). Their name was later changed to cirujano dentistas (plural of cirujano dentista meaning "dentist-surgeon" or "dental surgeon").[1]

During the American administration of the Philippines, examinations and licensing of dentists were introduced in the islands.[3] Major General Elwell Otis, the Military Governor of the Philippines at the time, instructed the US Provost Marshal General to assess the skills of the dentists who already practicing their craft in the islands.[2] On August 2, 1899, the US Provost Marshal General established the Board of Dental Examiners.[3][1] Examinations were held and licenses to practice were issued.[2]

In 1903, Act No. 593 known as "The Act of Regulating the Practice of Dentistry in the Philippine Islands" was passed to regulate the practice of dentistry in the Philippines.[3][1] Through this Act, the Board of Dental Examiners was reorganized on January 10, 1903.[3][1] The members of the Board of Dental Examiners were appointed by the Commissioner of Public Health after obtaining approval from the Board of Health of the Philippine Islands. The members were two Americans (Dr. Robert Oliver and Dr. Wallace G. Skidmore) and one Filipino (Dr. Antonio Vergel de Dios),[3] with Oliver as the chairman while Skidmore as the secretary treasurer.[2]

Some Filipinos who practiced dentistry in the Philippines at the time were graduates of schools of dentistry in the United States.[1] Among them were Dr. Gregorio R. Mateo, Dr. Francisco Ponce, Dr. Placido Flores and Dr. Joaquin A. Lada.[2]

The Sociedad dental de Filipinas, an organization of dentists in the Philippines founded in February 1908, initiated the establishment of dental schools in the Philippines and vied for the improvement of the profession in the islands.[1][2] It was located in the corner of Escolta and Soda Streets.[4] The first school of dentistry in the Philippines -The year 1913 marked the beginning of the De Ocampo Memorial College. It was then named Philippine Dental College- the first Dental College recognized by the Philippine government and authorized to confer the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) on March 25, 1916, and Doctor of Dental Medicine (DDM) on December 19, 1932. the Colegio Dental del Liceo de Manila - was founded in 1913 offering and granting degrees of Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) and Doctor of Dental Medicine (DDM).[1][2] The Colegio Dental del Liceo de Manila was later renamed in 1914 as the Philippine Dental College.[1][2] Afterwards, other universities and colleges also opened their own schools of dentistry. Among them were the University of the Philippines in 1915, the National University in 1922, the Centro Escolar University in 1925, and the Manila College of Dentistry in 1929.[1] The teachers in these schools were US Army dental officers. Among them were Col. George G. Graham who taught periodontology, Major Harry Smalley who taught a course in prosthesis, and Major Thomas Page who taught operative dentistry.[2]

On February 5, 1915, the regulations concerning the holding of dental examinations and dental practice were amended by the Philippine Legislature through Act No. 2462. After the enactment of Act No. 2462, the appointment of the members of the Board of Dental Examiners were relegated to the Director of Health and is to be approved by the Secretary of the Interior.[3] Act No. 2462 was further amended through Act No. 2602. The amendments in Act No. 2602 were related to the qualification, appointment, and removal of the members of the Board of Dental Examiners and the qualifications of candidates for dental board licensure examinations. Further changes were made through Act No. 3680 and 3681, in relation to reciprocity and removal of age requirement respectively for taking the dental licensure tests.[3]

In 1932, the Board of Dental Examiners was placed under the administration of the Department of Public Instruction upon the enactment of Public Act No. 4007 (the Reorganization Law of 1932).[3]

In 1948, the Board of Dental Examiners became an independent regulatory body due to Philippine Republic Act No. 546. The first members of that independent board appointed by the Secretary of Health was composed of Dr. Gervasio Erana, Dr. Germanico Carreon, and Diosdado Carpio, with Erana as the chairman of the board. The board was later given the "authority to issue, suspend or revoke certificates of registration and the power to administer oaths and oversee dental education requirements" after the enactment of The Philippine Dental Act of 1965 (Republic Act No. 4419).[2]

Four new schools of dentistry were established in 1948. In Luzon, the Philippine College of Dental Medicine was founded, later to be renamed as the College of Dentistry of the University of the East. In the same year, three dental schools were established in the Visayas region. Among them were the Iloilo City Colleges and at the University of San Agustin.[2]

At one point in time, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that there were about 43,220 dentists in the Philippines, meaning that there was one dentist responsible for the oral health of 22,300 students.[1]