Benjamin Franklin and the dentist: the story of R. C. Skinner

Among Benjamin Franklin's papers was a letter from a young British immigrant, R. C. Skinner, asking for a loan of only twenty dollars to help this young man begin the practice of dentistry in this country. Although we don't know what the great man's response was to this appeal, Skinner went on to achieve fame in his profession. He was the first dentist ever, in this country, to be appointed to a hospital staff; he established the first free dental clinic for the poor; and he authored the first book on dentistry ever published in America, earning him the title "The Father of American Dental Literature." From a newspaper advertisement of 1794, further information has been gleaned about Skinner's practice: he not only did conventional dentistry, but also supplied missing eyes, ears, noses and legs. This was a forerunner of the contemporary subspecialty of prosthodontics termed "maxillofacial prosthetics". An interesting list of Skinner's services and his fees for each, gives us a good picture of what dentistry was like in Colonial America.

Icons of dentistry: Dr Leon Eisenbud

Dentistry has a long, often well documented history. Evidence of tooth pullings has been discovered in crude carvings on the walls of caves that are over 10,000 years old. The ancient Egyptians, the Athenians, and the early inhabitants of Rome required oral health care; in addition to tooth extractions, they underwent tumor removal, tamponade for hemorrhage, reduction of jaw fractures with gold wire ligatures, cautery using white hot platinum loops, and an additional variety of remedies and nostrums. Pain relief was offered, with courses of treatment as varied as postural change, alteration of ambient temperature, and vegetable and organic medicines in poultices or via oral and rectal routes. Through the centuries, great surgeons and physicians introduced various methods of treatment: Hippocrates codified ethical standards; Maimonides established pragmatic rules for physicians; LeFort categorized facial fractures; Pasteur clarified the need for sterilization; Semmelweis standardized antiseptic conditions in the operating theater; Morton and Wells discovered safer methods of analgesia; Freud explored the theraupeutic uses of narcotics; Roentgen championed X-ray imaging; Curie pioneered the use of chemotherapy; and Barton and Nightingale were models of empathy and patient care. In more recent times, we have profited from the genius of Watson and Crick (DNA); Fleming (penicillin); Venable and Stuck (Chrome-cobalt--molybdenum alloy); Gershkoff and Goldberg (the subperiosteal implant); Chercheve, Branemark, Linkow, Misch, Tatum, and Niznick (innovative root forms, titanium and its alloys, and sinus floor grafting). The 20th century has brought to us phenomenal imaging, breathtaking intrauterine fetal surgery, wildly promising stem cell research, and astonishing CADCAM techniques. We've had great teachers and clinicians who have introduced us to new forms of therapy and advanced methods, including the role of the hemidesmasomes, the essential elements of bone grafting, the importance of microscopic analysis, and the benefits to patients of physical diagnosis by their dentists. To recognize and celebrate some of my heroes' contributions to the health and well-being of humankind, editorials will occasionally appear on these pages that explore their various contributions.

Hospital dentistry and GPRs. A relationship with a past

Dental programs have evolved from an occasional component of hospitals to fully recognized departments within the structure of most institutions. A review is presented of some of these developments, including the initiation of general practice residency (GPR) programs and training in a residency program as a substitute for the standard licensing examination.

The changing role of specialist care in NHS dentistry

Specialisation and Specialist Training in Dentistry in the UK have been central issues for debate in the last few years. The profession has emerged stronger in understanding the respective roles of the generalist who should remain free to practise across the whole spectrum of dentistry and the specialist who can work in primary and secondary care. The overriding principle is that the patient remains the true beneficiary of a specialised service within the NHS.

A matter of minutes--a history of The Hospitals Group 1947-1997

As The Hospitals Group of the BDA reach their 50th anniversary their history has become more than a matter of minutes but spans a considerable number of years of impressive achievements and sheer determination. The following account of the Group's history has been extracted from the minutes of their meetings at the BDA and reflects issues that are still prevalent today.

A brief history of U.S. Air Force prosthodontics

This article is a brief overview of the evolution of the U.S. Air Force Dental Service with special emphasis on the simultaneous development of the specialty of prosthodontics within the Dental Service. Of special note is a review of the outstanding Air Force Training programs and Area Dental Laboratory system.

The development of hospital dentistry in America--the first one hundred years (1850-1950)

The development of hospital dentistry in America began in the middle of the nineteenth century with the pioneering endeavors of Dr. Simon Hullihen and Dr. James Garretson who is credited with the development of the specialty of oral surgery. While starting small, the prodigious work of these and other dentists laid the foundation on which modern hospital dentistry would be built. Throughout its establishment, however, hospital dentistry would have to fight for a place in the hospital, not only with the medical community but also from within the dental community. In time though, hospital dentistry would come to have the support of the American Dental Association and the respect of the medical community.