Leadership and Legacy: Oral Health Milestones in Maternal and Child Health Promotion and Prevention OHRC

1880s

Child receiving oral health care. Reproduced  with permission from the American Dental Association. All rights reserved.
Dental hygiene is established as a subspecialty dedicated to the prevention of oral disease.
Source: Rosefirerising’s photo stream.
  • Importance of dental hygiene gains acceptance

Background

Dental hygiene as part of dental practice was first advocated in 1871, but the movement did not gain favor until the late 1880s.

Dr. Andrew McLain of the New Orleans Dental College appears to have been the first to use the term “prophylaxis.” He believed dentists should ward off diseases instead of combatting those already established. He promoted absolute cleanliness of the teeth, hygienic and preventive measures, and diet.

A paper read by Dr. Meyer L. Rhein before the First District Dental Society of New York in 1884 stressed the vital importance of prevention of oral disease. Dr. Rhein advocated the use of waxed dental floss, and he proposed an oral hygiene program for school-age children. In 1890, Dr. Charles B. Atkinson of New York City accurately outlined the scope of dental prophylaxis. Dr. David Smith, however, was the first to put his ideas into action. Dr. Smith established a preventive practice in his Philadelphia office and became known as the father of dental prophylaxis, for he was the first to present a definite system, show clinical results, and share his techniques with other practitioners.

The first dentist to suggest that women should or could be trained to clean teeth was Dr. Cyrus Mansfield Wright of Cincinnati, OH. Dr. Wright believed in the need for oral hygiene and in the establishment of an oral hygiene subspecialty. He urged the Ohio Dental College to establish a dental hygiene course and promoted the education of dental nurses in dental schools.

Meanwhile, Dr. Alfred Civilion Fones, a dentist in Bridgeport, CT, had discovered that office time was a serious problem for dentists. He came to the conclusion that women could be trained to perform preventive prophylactic treatments, leaving dentists free to perform restorative procedures. Dr. Fones trained his dental assistant, Irene Newman, to perform the functions of this new subspecialty. Dr. Fones knew that turning his patients over to Ms. Newman for these procedures could mean the failure of his practice, but his patients accepted the new service, and from that time on Dr. Fones was able to wage a winning war against oral diseases. Other dentists followed suit, and dental hygiene became an established part of oral health care, despite fierce opposition from some members of the profession.

Impact

A paradigm shift from the treatment of oral disease to the provision of oral health education and preventive care occurred.

Source

American Dental Hygienists’ Association. About ADHA.

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