The History of Periodontics

Periodontics is the branch of dentistry that involves studying the diseases that afflict the supporting structures of teeth. It is also known as periodontology.

Earliest Times

• The earliest evidence of human awareness of periodontics dates back to the ancient Egyptian and Middle Eastern world, where there are skeletal and written records of periodontal diseases.

Classical and Medieval Ages

• Ancient Greeks and Romans, as well as Europeans during the Middle Ages, not only described periodontal diseases; they also suggested remedies and prevention for them.

Clinical Practice

• Grace Rogers Spalding, a physician based in Detroit, Michigan, was one of the first people to practice periodontics in a clinical setting. Then, it was known as "oral prophylaxis."

American Academy of Periodontology

• Rogers Spalding teamed with another "oral prophylaxis" practitioner, Gillette Hayden, to form the American Academy of Oral Prophylaxis and Periodontology in 1914. In 1919, the organization changed its name to the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP).

Today

• The AAP is currently the governing body of periodontics in the United States. Academic programs have been established throughout the world since the 1940s, and periodontics is now one of the world's recognized dental specialties.