Dr.
Greene Vardiman Black (1836-1915), the acknowledged father of modern
dentistry, was born in Winchester, Illinois. His work and contributions to dentistry
were all based in Illinois. His career included dental practices in Winchester and
Jacksonville, Illinois. Dr. Black taught at several dental schools in the area, and served
as the second dean of the Northwestern University Dental School, which became
known as the largest and most outstanding institution of its kind under his
administration.
Dr. Black contributed to the advancement of dental science by standardizing operative
procedures and providing uniformity in the manufacture of amalgam, cavity
preparation and dental terminology. His development of dental amalgams, over 150
years ago, set the standards for formulae, clinical use and techniques. He provided the
first dental identification and categorization of dental procedures to restore diseased or
injured teeth. Among his dental inventions were the foot-powered drill engine and the
gnathodynamometer for measuring bite force.
FAMOUS DENTISTS
1. John Henry “Doc” Holliday. Primarily remembered for his connection to Wyatt Earp and the infamous gunfight at
the O.K. Corral, Doc Holliday was a gambler, a gunfighter and a dentist. Holliday left his home in Georgia when he
was 19 to study dentistry in Philadelphia. He obtained his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the Pennsylvania
College of Dental Surgery, and then opened a dental office in Atlanta with another dentist. Soon after, he was
diagnosed with tuberculosis, and moved to Dallas, Tex., where he opened a dental practice – but he discovered that
gambling was a more lucrative vocation. The rest is, literally, history.
2. Norman W. Kingsley. Often called “The Father of Orthodontics,” Kingsley was a dentist, an artist, writer and
sculptor who did pioneering work studying the cleft palate. His 1880 work “Treatise on Oral Deformities” was
enormously influential on the field of dentistry.
3. J. N. Farrar. Also referred to as “The Father of Orthodontics,” his two-volume work, “A Treatise on the Irregularities
of the Teeth and Their Corrections,” became a standard reference text for many years, in part because of the
generous illustrations. Farrar was an expert at designing dental appliances, and he’s credited with first suggested the
use of mild force at intervals to move teeth.
4. Sir James Crichton-Browne. Actually a renowned British psychiatrist, Crichton-Browne is famous for his
contribution to oral health. A passionate believer in the need to ensure dental care for children, he advocated the use
of fluorine in the diets of pregnant women and children almost a half-century before modern research confirmed
fluorine’s value in preventing cavities.
5. Edward Angle. During his lifetime, Angle was able to truly change the profession of dentistry. At the Angle School
of Orthodontics, he was able to write extensively about different kinds of mouth abnormalities and create devices to
correct them. Many of his treatment systems are still used today.
6. Pierre Fauchard. An important French physician Fauchard is credited as “The Father of Modern Dentistry” (nor
orthodontics, as that title was already taken – twice). His 1728 book “The Surgeon Dentist” describes basic oral
anatomy and function, signs and symptoms of oral pathology, operative methods for removing decay and restoring
teeth, periodontal disease (pyorrhea), orthodontics, replacement of missing teeth, and tooth transplantation. His book
is regarded as the first complete scientific description of dentistry.
7. Green Vardiman Black. A colorful name led to a colorful life as a dentist. Black became a professor of Oral
Pathology at the Missouri Dental College, and while there, he created more than one hundred scientific papers on the
subject of dentistry. He managed to standardize many operative procedures during his lifetime.
8. Harvey J. Burkhart. Primarily known for his diplomacy, Burkhart served as the first president of the American
Dental Association in 1899. He held several other honorable positions, and during his lifetime, he pioneered many
preventative procedures for patients.
9. Thomas Curtis. The first African-American dentist in Alabama, Curtis was the model of an excellent dentist. He
made great strides toward ensuring equality in dental care for all.
10. Chapin Harris. Harris is one of the major reasons dentists have journals to study new techniques today. In 1839,
he created the American Journal of Dental Science. He served as chief editor and publisher until his death.
G V BLACK
1. he gave us the first formula for a scientifically balanced amalgam, His formula
revolutionized dental practice
2. He became the foremost leader in dental education and helped build one of
the leading Dental schools in the world.
3. He is know to all of us as "The Grand Old Man of Dentistry"
4. Black was the first to use nitrous oxide for "extracting teeth without pain."
5. . He invented a dental drill powered by a foot pedal that allowed dental practitioners more ease of
use when treating cavities. He also set forth standards for tooth preparation to teach dental
practitioners how to prepare a tooth to be filled. Dr. Black introduced the use of nitrous oxide to
allow dentists to pull teeth without causing extreme pain for patients. He created an excellent
composition for dental amalgams, the primary material used in fillings. He also discovered the
cause of dental fluorosis.
6. "The Father of Modern American Dentistry." On February 25, 1996,
