The Pathology of Dental Infections

These transcriptions of dental meetings and seminars of the early 20th century shed light on the history and development of dentistry.

The dentist of the time hadn’t standardized their prescribing practices, with private practices around the USA and Canada often giving their patients different medicines for pain, inflammation and infections. Some dentists at the turn of the 20th century lacked detailed knowledge of what they had prescribed, having simply been recommended by other dentists, or been advertised to by a drug company. The Canadian Oral Prophylactic Association was conceived as a way to inform and improve the situation; within months of founding, they had created their own toothpaste and were publishing guidelines.

These lectures sought to educate and inform dentists about the latest advances in the field. The abysmal death rates involved in dental infections remained an enormous problem; public education in dental care, oral hygiene and better treatments were still areas in dire need of improvement when these lectures were published in 1916. However, the recent technological advances in X-rays were encouraging; with the use of radiology, diagnosis of cavities and tooth decay became easier. The case studies related provide valuable historic context on dentistry at the time.