History of oral health: the origins of fruitcare (2024)

FAQs

What is the history of oral health? ›

Early people used simple tools such as tree bark or twigs with frayed ends to clean their teeth and mouths in Babylonia as early as 3500 B.C. Feathers, bones, and even porcupine quills were used to clean between teeth during the Greek and Roman empires.

Dr Esther M.

Wilkins, the godmother of dental hygiene, is widely recognized as the highest influential figure in the field of dental hygiene. She is renowned for her contributions to dental hygiene education and her significant impact on the profession.

Apples have been commonly recommended as a means of cleaning the teeth after eating because they stimulate an alkaline saliva flow that neutralizes the acids produced in dental plaque after carbohydrate ingestion [1].

Irene Newman was the first “dental hygienist” to implement dental hygiene duties in a clinical setting. This precipitated America's first dental hygiene program established, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, by Dr. Fones in 1913.

How did it start? Oral history in the modern form of audio recordings had its origins in the work of Allan Nevins at the University of Columbia in the USA. He began to record the memories of 'persons significant in American life' in 1948.

Oral history is the collection and recording of personal memoirs as historical docu- mentation. It documents forms of discourse normally not documented and it emphasizes the significance of human experience.

Dental hygienists usually earn an associate degree in dental hygiene before gaining state licensure, but individuals who want to pursue jobs outside of a clinical setting may seek a bachelor's degree in dental hygiene.

Apples and Citrus Fruit

This is because chewing the fibrous texture of apples stimulates your gums, further reducing cavity-causing bacteria and increasing saliva flow. And more saliva is good, because it decreases acidity in your mouth and washes away particles of food that lead to decay.

Banana is one of the best fruits for your teeth. Not only does it stimulate saliva production, but it also helps clean away leftover food particles on your teeth after a meal. Bananas are a source of vitamin B6, which the body needs to produce antibodies. These antibodies help prevent gum disease.

Who is the father of oral hygiene? ›

The father of oral hygiene: Robert Bunon (1702-1748)

Alfred Fones is often credited as the “Father of Dental Hygiene.” Dr. Fones was a dentist in Connecticut who trained the first ever dental hygienist – his assistant and cousin, Irene Newman. In 1913 Dr. Fones created the Fones School of Dental Hygiene in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

By the 1700s, dentistry had become a more defined profession. In 1723, Pierre Fauchard, a French surgeon credited as the Father of Modern Dentistry, published his influential book, The Surgeon Dentist, a Treatise on Teeth, which for the first time defined a comprehensive system for caring for and treating teeth.

Oral history is a field of study and a method of gathering, preserving and interpreting the voices and memories of people, communities, and participants in past events.

Oral history strives to obtain information from different perspectives and most of these cannot be found in written sources. Oral history also refers to information gathered in this manner and to a written work (published or unpublished) based on such data, often preserved in archives and large libraries.

In oral history, the material is collected by an external observer and is mainly used to focus on delimited past sequences. Life history involves an examination of self-written accounts, such as autobiographies (memoirs), letters, or diaries.

As early as 3000 BCE, Assyrian cuneiform medical texts mention teeth-cleaning procedures. Toothpicks dating back to this same time have been found in other sites in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq).