Meet The World’s First Dentist
Dentistry is an age-old profession. For centuries, eminent dentists have dedicated a fair share of their time to improving the standards of dental healthcare delivery, with significant scientific research.
But when did it all start? Who was the first person on the planet who began considering oral hygiene as an important factor for overall health?
Let’s meet the world’s first “documented” dental physician.
Enter Egypt in 2686 BC
Dr Hesy-Ra (aka Hesy-Re & Hesire) was the first documented physician in the world.
He was an Ancient Egyptian, who served as the royal physician to the Pharaoh Netjerikhet (or Djoser, since the other name is a bit difficult to pronounce)
So, Hesire was a big name in the reign of Pharaoh Djoser. In addition to being the royal physician, him and his buddies, used to cater to the dental healthcare needs of the workers in the Egyptian pyramids. He had to make sure people did their jobs of building the Great Pyramids, and not let a painful toothache to hinder progress. He must have been pretty good at his job. Take a look at these pyramids that still stand today
Hesire’s Dental Practice:
The first dentist did not have the luxury of air turbines and SS White did not start making high quality burs yet. So, he had to resort to other painful methods to relieve pain. Yes, you read that right.
He drilled holes into the teeth of his patients to drain the infection using a bow drill. The ancient Egyptians did not have knowledge about opium or lignocaine with adrenaline in 1:10000 dilution. So they didn’t really have a say.
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A bow drill |
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How a bow drill is used |
The next time you have a patient who fears the airotor handpiece, show them the above image and they’ll be grateful
Dr Hesire however, was the most respected physician of his time and was famous for the numerous contributions he made in his lifetime. He did have the most awesome title of “Chief of Dentists and Physicians”. Transfer of this rich knowledge to future doctors helped shape dentistry as separate specialization of the healthcare sector.
PS: The inhabitants of the Indus Valley are considered to be pioneers in cosmetic dentistry, as they had practices of embedding jewels in their teeth or have them wrapped with a golden wire. This can be dated back to at least 7000 BC.
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Very informative post… I dint knw even d name f first dentist lol… keep updating us with such interesting facts doc..
Thank you and glad you liked the article Dr. Thabu. Will definitely keep coming up with more interesting articles like this for the dental community.