Historical overview of orthodontic education, from the beginning up to the 21st century (Part 1)

Historians from the American Association of Orthodontists indicated that people in prehistoric times wanted straight teeth (American Association of Orthodontists). Mummified ancients have been found with crude metal bands wrapped around individual teeth by archaeologists. Hippocrates and Aristotle (400-500 BC) both considered ways to fix various dental conditions and straighten teeth. In the Golden Age of Greek history, the Etruscans (precursors of the Romans) buried their dead with dental devices that prevented collapse of teeth and maintained space for the dentition (Wahl, 2006).

According to Wahl (2006), while excavating in a Roman tomb in Egypt, an archeologist found a mummy who had a number of teeth bound with a gold wire; this was considered to be the first documented orthodontic ligature wire. Aurelius Cornelius Celsus first recorded the treatment of teeth by finger pressure at the time of Christ. Despite all this evidence, significant events in orthodontics did not occur until the 1700s.

Background of orthodontic education from 1728 to 1900

In 1728, Pierre Fauchard (1690-1761) published "The Surgeon Dentist," in which he devoted an entire chapter on straightening teeth, and in 1757 the French dentist Joachim Bourdet published "The Dentist's Art" that also had a chapter on moving teeth. These books are considered to be the first important references to orthodontics. In 1841, Lafoulon created the term orthodontia (Wahl, 2006).

The first dental school in the United States was the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery in Baltimore, established in 1840 (Asbell, 1988, p. 215). According to Asbell, “Irregularity of the teeth” had been recognized by surgeon-dentists early in the 19th century” (p. 141). During this century, treatment of misaligned teeth was perfunctory; dental practitioners devised their own method for correcting orthodontic problems. Orthodontia was originally included within the field of prosthetic dentistry.

In the 1850s, several practicing dentists realized that orthodontics required (a) special mechanical skills and knowledge, and (b) additional scientific education in anatomy, physiology and pathology of the dento-facial complex of a patient (Asbell, 1988). Norman W. Kingsley (1829-1913) published the first all-inclusive textbook on orthodontics entitled Oral Deformities in 1880 and later served as the first dean of the New York University, College for Dentistry. According to Asbell, in 1886 John N. Farrar published the second textbook, titled Irregularities of the Teeth, which was a summation of his work as a practitioner and in 1889, the National Association of Dental Faculties requested Simeon H. Guilford to publish a textbook for students and practitioners alike entitled, Orthodontia or Malposition of Human Teeth: Its prevention and Remedy.

Asbell (1988) found that in 1886, Edward H. Angle (1855-1930), who later became known as the father of orthodontics, was appointed as the first chairman of the Department of Orthodontics at the University of Minnesota. Angle became internationally known for his revolutionary principles and ideas regarding straightening teeth, which are currently still in vogue. In 1900, he founded the Angle School of Orthodontics, which was the first organized and independent school for orthodontics and attracted dentists throughout the United States. Angle recognized the importance of science as a foundation for moving teeth. In 1887, Eugene S. Talbot suggested that hereditary influences were involved in orthodontic malocclusions. He emphasized the importance of etiology as a basic principle for treatment and was the first to recommend the importance of X-rays in diagnosing orthodontic problems (Asbell, 1988).

According to Asbell, dentistry in the 20th century had advanced on many fronts. There was continuing preeminence in technological progress, a steady search for enduring relations with the biologic sciences, a continuing growth of professional literature, an awareness that dental health is part of the totality of health, and a recognition of social responsibility in the practice of the profession (p. 175).

In 1900, the American Society of Orthodontics became an organized specialty of dentistry, mainly as a result of Edward H. Angle’s leadership; it was founded “for the promotion and exaltation of that branch of dental science known as orthodontia, and looking to the early and complete recognition of the branch as a distinct specialty to be taught and practiced as such” (Asbell, 1988, p. 176). Currently, the American Society of Orthodontics is known as the American Association of Orthodontics (AAO). Asbell noted that in 1929, the AAO created the American Board of Orthodontics as the first specialty certifying agency in dentistry, which was also the third specialty in medicine.

(to be continued…)