New Online Exhibit: History of Dentures from Beginning to Early 19th Century

What materials were antiquity-era dentures made from? How did 19th century dentists take dental impressions from their patients? How did dentures become accessible and common in the 19th century?  

Dentures are one of the most fascinating and important discoveries in oral health. Though dental care standards and access have improved, tooth loss was and remains a global issue and an enormous health burden. (1, 2) In some cases, dentures are necessary and substantially improve the nutrition and quality of life in patients requiring them. Despite their essential role in the past and present, the histories of dentures are not easy to locate on the web, with sources often being disparate, difficult, and inaccessible to everyday users.

Thus, the Dentistry Library proudly presents an online exhibition on the History of Dentures from Beginning to Early 19th Century. This exhibition leverages the Dentistry Library’s rare books to succinctly summarize information and disseminate narratives relating to dental prosthesis history. The online exhibit will firstly summarize the key developments of dentures in antiquity and the early modern era. Then, this exhibition will explore the types of dentures, impression taking methods, and denture materials of the 19th century. 

Though by no means an exhaustive history of dental prosthesis, we hope that this exhibition will relay insights about denture history in an accessible, open, and digestible manner. We also hope that this exhibition will inspire more interest in dentistry history, which you can explore further through the Dentistry Library’s rare book collection. 

Tracing science histories is important to understand how we got to our current level of scientific progress. Learn the answers to the above questions and more about historical denture developments today!  

References 

1. Nowjack-Raymer RE, Sheiham A. Association of edentulism and diet and nutrition in US adults. Journal of dental research. 2003;82(2):123-6. 

2. Kassebaum NJ, Bernabé E, Dahiya M, Bhandari B, Murray CJ, Marcenes W. Global Burden of Severe Tooth Loss: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Journal of dental research. 2014;93(7 Suppl):20s-8s.