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Show "The cause of decay, the most common ailment of mankind, like the causes of the common cold and cancer, is still unknown to science." However, dentistry, by removing the decayed substance of a toothe and fortifying the remainder re-mainder with a chemically sound filling, is able to save that tooth from further destrucUon and protect pro-tect the nerve. Dentistry, in some form or another an-other is as old and perhaps older than civilization. In ancient and medieval times, however, and even in some parts of the world today, dental remedies were and are based chiefly on guesswork, superstition su-perstition and even magic. It was not until 1750 that dentistry den-tistry began to attract attention as a distinct branch of medical knowledge. Pierre Fauchard, a French Physician, is regarded as the father of Modern Dentistry. This scientific consciousness on the part of dentists was crystallized crystal-lized in Baltimore, Md. when two Americans, Drs. Horace A. Hayden Hay-den and Chapin A. Harris, founded found-ed the first dental school in the world. Since 1840 American dentistry nas taken a place in medicine as a specialty seeking the cause of mouth ailments, control the effect, ef-fect, and to teach that elimination elimina-tion of oral disease depends upon preventive measures. Members of the Utah County Society will hold a dinner on March 11 to commemorate the centennial of the first dental school, first dental journal and first dental society, the cornerstones corner-stones or tripod upon which modern mod-ern dental science is established. |