Dentistry in ancient Rome

Dentistry developed during the early parts of Roman history,[1] possibly due to the arrival of a Greek doctor named Archagathus. Ancient Roman oral surgical tools included the dental drill, chisels, bone levers, tooth and stump forceps.[2][3][4] The ancient Romans invented the usage of narcotics during dental surgery.[5] These tools were used to treat conditions such as toothache and to extract teeth. It was believed in ancient Rome that the cause of the conditions that necessitated such treatment was a "toothworm."

History

According to Pliny the Elder for much of Roman history they lived without a medical community. During this time medicine was confined to popular homemade remedies rather than professional trained doctors. The profession of medicine was introduced to the Romans by the Greek doctor Archagathus, who traveled to Rome and established himself as a physician. Eventually he garnered a reputation for violent use of steel and fire costing him his reputation and granting him the title of "butcher." Archaeological and historical evidence disputes this narrative. The Twelve Tables, which was the set of legislation forming the basis of Roman law,[6] make mention of teeth laden with gold, implying that dentistry had been practiced at this point in history. Other evidence includes the finding of prosthetic materials designed to treat dental and oral health conditions in Roman cities such as Teano. Despite this, historians and archaeologists are inconclusive on this matter.[7]

Cosmetic dentistry
Etruscan dentures

The ancient Romans whitened their teeth using toothpaste made from human urine and goat milk.[8][9][10] Dental bridges and crowns were developed in ancient Rome in 500 BCE.[11] This form of dentistry was a craft the Etruscans were skilled at.[12][13] This civilization developed the first "true" dental bridges.[14] Roman dental bridges were commonly made of bone or ivory, and were in high demand during the Roman Republic.[15] Ancient Roman dentists also used dental implants made of gold.[16][17][18]

Tooth

Toothaches
Ancient Roman dental forceps

Treatments for toothaches were popular and widely desired due to the intense pain and dental decay this condition caused. In his work Natural History, Pliny the Elder discussed therapies for tooth pain. He wrote that a patient could pour the remedy into their ear. Some medication was supposed to be poured into the ear on the same side of the head as the toothache, others were supposed to be poured in on the opposite side. Some treatments included the inhalation of wild mint, the use of hare bones to incise the gums, wearing bones covered with feces, and gargling the ash of deer horns.[19][20] Another treatment included catching a frog in moonlight and spitting into its mouth, then commanding the frog to leave and carry the toothache with it.[21] Roman doctors believed that toothaches were caused by a "toothworm."[22]

Tooth extraction
Portrait of Galen, a Roman doctor

It is unclear which Roman profession or professions would have performed dentistry. There may have been medical specialists trained to perform dental procedures, it is also possible that dentistry was practiced as a subset of other professions, such as barbery. Tooth extraction is an oral surgical procedure conducted for the purpose of removing teeth. In ancient Rome, it may have been practiced by specialists who were not associated with any other medical professionals in ancient Rome. This practice required teeth to be extracted softly, in order to avert the danger involved.[23] This danger also resulted in the practice becoming rare. Ancient literature describes another process dedicated to extracting teeth. In this process, the tooth would be grabbed and rocked until it could be removed with hands. Another practice involved cutting the gum and bone surround a tooth, and then extracting. Celsus, a Roman doctor recommended that physicians should also extract the bone near the teeth, and that they should refuse to extract children's teeth unless they were preventing adult teeth from growing.[24][25]

Others

Ancient Roman medical writers believed that teeth could become loose due to root weakness or a gum disease. They would treat this by cauterizing the gums, then covering it in honey swilled with mead. Afterwards medication was placed on the teeth. If the tooth became painful it would be extracted. This procedure would be conducted by "scraping" the tooth in "round order" then shaking the tooth until it could be safely removed.[26]

Cleft lip and palate

Celsus described treatments for the medical condition known as cleft lip and palate. He wrote that applying a suture and abrasions to the lips was Celsus' suggested method of treating small defects. Larger and more problematic defects were treated using surgical procedure known as flaps. Galen, another Roman doctor likely described either coloboma or facial cleft. To treat this condition he recommended scarifying the skin and unifying the disparate parts of the skin, removing callouses, and then finishing the procedure through sewing and glue. It was believed that a healthy palate was necessary for proper speech.[26] The ancient Romans also killed children with cleft lips, due to the belief that they were possessed by evil spirits.[27]

References
  1. Andrews, Esther K. (2007). Practice Management for Dental Hygienists. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-7817-5359-3.
  2. Synovitz, Linda Baily; Larson, Karl L. (2013). Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Health Professionals: A Holistic Approach to Consumer Health. Jones & Bartlett Publishers. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-7637-6595-8.
  3. Maynard, Charles W. (15 January 2006). The Technology of Ancient Rome. The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. pp. 36, 51. ISBN 978-1-4042-0556-7.
  4. "Ancient medicines and bone lever in rare Roman medical kit." Premium Official News, 26 Feb. 2016. Gale OneFile: News.
  5. Learning, Jones & Bartlett (4 May 2020). Comprehensive Dental Assisting, Enhanced Edition. Jones & Bartlett Learning. p. 13. ISBN 978-1-284-26812-6.
  6. Jolowicz, H.F. Historical Introduction to the Study of Roman Law (Cambridge, 1952), 108
  7. Guerini, Vincenzo (27 November 2019). A History of Dentistry from the most Ancient Times until the end of the Eighteenth Century. Good Press.
  8. Lenkeit, Roberta Edwards (23 October 2018). High Heels and Bound Feet: And Other Essays on Everyday Anthropology, Second Edition. Waveland Press. p. 72. ISBN 978-1-4786-3841-4.
  9. Perdigão, Jorge (3 August 2016). Tooth Whitening: An Evidence-Based Perspective. Springer. p. 170. ISBN 978-3-319-38849-6.
  10. Bonitz, Michael; Lopez, Jose; Becker, Kurt; Thomsen, Hauke (9 April 2014). Complex Plasmas: Scientific Challenges and Technological Opportunities. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 465. ISBN 978-3-319-05437-7.
  11. Reddy, Boreddy (2 November 2017). Acrylic Polymers in Healthcare. BoD – Books on Demand. p. 27. ISBN 978-953-51-3593-7.
  12. Krebs, Robert E.; Krebs, Carolyn A. (2003). Groundbreaking Scientific Experiments, Inventions, and Discoveries of the Ancient World. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 209. ISBN 978-0-313-31342-4.
  13. Learning, Jones & Bartlett (4 May 2020). Comprehensive Dental Assisting, Enhanced Edition. Jones & Bartlett Learning. p. 5. ISBN 978-1-284-26812-6.
  14. Garg, Arun K. (11 December 2009). Implant Dentistry – E-Book. Elsevier Health Sciences. ISBN 978-0-323-08765-0.
  15. Naso, Alessandro (25 September 2017). Etruscology. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. pp. 523–527. ISBN 978-1-934078-49-5.
  16. Lanza, Robert; Langer, Robert; Vacanti, Joseph P. (17 October 2013). Principles of Tissue Engineering. Academic Press. p. 1471. ISBN 978-0-12-398370-1.
  17. Chapman, Michael W.; James, Michelle A. (31 January 2019). Chapman's Comprehensive Orthopaedic Surgery: Five Volume Set. Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers. p. 4085. ISBN 978-93-5152-497-7.
  18. Eswarappa, Veda; Bhatia, Sujata K. (12 September 2012). Naturally Based Biomaterials and Therapeutics: The Case of India. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 10. ISBN 978-1-4614-5385-7.
  19. Engs, Ruth Clifford (11 January 2022). Bizarre Medicine: Unusual Treatments and Practices through the Ages. ABC-CLIO. p. 269. ISBN 978-1-4408-7125-2.
  20. Virnig, Christine (21 July 2020). Dung for Dinner: A Stomach-Churning Look at the Animal Poop, Pee, Vomit, and Secretions that People Have Eaten (and Often Still Do!). Henry Holt and Company (BYR). ISBN 978-1-250-24680-6.
  21. Turner, Tracey (15 October 2019). The Curious Book of Lists: 263 Fun, Fascinating, and Fact-Filled Lists. Kingfisher. p. 92. ISBN 978-0-7534-7609-3.
  22. Bird, Doni L.; Robinson, Debbie S. (16 March 2017). Modern Dental Assisting – E-Book. Elsevier Health Sciences. pp. 3–4. ISBN 978-0-323-48517-3.
  23. Ferneini, Elie M.; Goupil, Michael T.; Halepas, Steven (2022). The History of Maxillofacial Surgery: An Evidence Based Journey. Springer Nature. p. 112. ISBN 978-3-030-89563-1.
  24. Becker, Marshall J.; Turfa, Jean MacIntosh (17 February 2017). The Etruscans and the History of Dentistry: The Golden Smile through the Ages. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-317-19465-1.
  25. Ciment, James (14 December 2015). How They Lived: An Annotated Tour of Daily Life through History in Primary Sources [2 volumes]: An Annotated Tour of Daily Life through History in Primary Sources. ABC-CLIO. p. 181. ISBN 978-1-61069-896-2.
  26. Santoni-Rugiu, Paolo; Sykes, Philip J. (10 August 2007). A History of Plastic Surgery. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 215. ISBN 978-3-540-46241-5.
  27. Shi, Bing; Sommerlad, Brian C. (13 January 2015). Cleft Lip and Palate Primary Repair. Springer. ISBN 978-3-642-38382-3.
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