Dentistry in a historical perspective and a likely future of the profession

Abstract

From the earliest times, humans have shown concern for oral diseases and how to repair their effects. Archaeological findings show signs of dental caries in several ancient cultures, with the earliest evidence of any dental intervention found in a pair of 13,000-year-old teeth in Italy. By the middle of the twentieth century, dentistry had become well established as a technical expertise where the dentist could perform delicate operative procedures in the oral cavity. The focus shifted from the surgical to the restorative, which allowed restoring damaged teeth, with the aim of keeping the teeth functioning in the mouth. While modern oral health care has benefited enormously from advances such as fluoridation, the oral health professions still face significant challenges, such as the major inequalities in oral health, both within and between countries in terms of disease severity and prevalence. Looking to the future, there are key trends which will greatly influence how oral health care is conceptualised and organised, how oral health care personnel are trained and how they will deliver health services to the population. These trends are: the pervasive use of communication and information technologies, world globalisation and migratory movements, the ageing of the world population and climate change.