Pre-1700
1530 |
Artzney Buchlein, the first book written solely on dentistry |
1563 |
Bartholomew Eusttachius published the first accurate book on dental anatomy, Libellus de dentibus |
1683 |
Antony van Leeuwenhoek identified oral bacteria using a microscope |
1685 |
The first dental book written in English, The Operator for the teeth by Charles Allen |
1700-1800
1723 |
Pierre Fauchard published Le Chirurgien dentiste | 
|
1764 |
First lectures on the teeth at the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh by James Rae | |
1771 |
John Hunter published The natural history of human teeth giving a scientific basis to dental anatomy | |
1780 |
William Addis manufactured the first modern toothbrush | |
1800-1900
1820 |
Claudius Ash established his dental manufacturing company in London | |
1831 |
James Snell designed the first reclining dental chair | |
1830s-1890s |
The Amalgam War conflict and controversy generated over the use of amalgam as a filling material | |
1839 |
London Institution for Diseases of the Teeth established |
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1843 |
First British Dental Journal was published | |
1844 |
Horace Wells demonstrated nitrous oxide as an anaesthetic | |
1846 |
W T G Morton demonstrated ether as an anaesthetic | |
1846 |
James Robinson carried out first tooth extraction under ether in the UK | |
1851 |
Vulcanite, invented by Charles Goodyear, began to be used for denture bases |  |
1858 |
Dental Hospital of London opened, the first clinical training establishment for dentists in Britain. Medical Registration Act permitted the College of Surgeons to grant licences in dental surgery | |
1859 |
Opening of first dental schools in Britain | |
1860 |
First licences in dental surgery awarded by the Royal College of Surgeons of England | |
1871 |
James Beall Morrision invents foot treadle engine. A tooth coloured filling material, silicate cement was introduced |
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1878 |
First British Dentists Act | |
1879 |
First Dental Register | |
1880 |
British Dental Association founded | |
1884 |
Cocaine was introduced as a local anaesthetic by Carl Koller | |
1890 |
W D Miller formulated his ‘chemico parasitic’ theory of caries in Micro-organisms of the human mouth | |
1895 |
Lilian Lindsay became the first woman to qualify as a dentist in the UK | |
1896 |
G V Black establishes the principles of cavity preparation | |
1900-present
1900 |
Federation Dentaire Internationale founded | |
1901 |
University of Birmingham awarded the first dental degree in Britain
Novocaine was introduced as a local anaesthetic by Alfred Einhorn |
|
1907 |
George Cunningham established the Cambridge school children’s dental institute | |
1907 |
George Northcroft establishes the first orthodontic study group in the UK | |
1921 |
Dentists Act: only registered dentists were permitted to practise | |
c 1932 |
Synthetic resins were introduced for denture bases | |
1943 |
First dental hygienists were trained by the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force | |
1947 |
Founding of the Faculty of Dental Surgery within the Royal College of Surgeons of England | |
|
1948 |
National Health Service introduced |
 |
1956 |
Dentists Act: General Dental Council established | |
1957 |
High-speed turbine handpiece introduced | |
1958 |
Fluoride toothpaste was first marketed in Britain | |
1962 |
Dental auxiliaries qualified at New Cross General Hospital | |
1967 |
Lord Colwyn became a hereditary peer contributing to dental debates in the House of Lords | |
1968 |
First national dental survey of the adult population (children 1973) in England and Wales. These and subsequent surveys demonstrated enormous improvements in dental treatment and oral health | |
1981 |
Baroness Gardner of Parkes becomes first dentist to have a life peerage | |
1984 |
Dentists Act: the constitutional powers of the GDC were reduced | |
1985 |
The first dental school closed; Royal Dental Hospital | |
1985 |
Water fluoridation Act passed | |
1990 |
Family Health Services Authorities created and a new dental contract introduce | |
1992 |
Formation of the Faculty of General Dental Practice | |
2006 |
The new General Dental Services NHS contract introduced | |