A recent visit from our Johnson & Johnson Listerine rep prompted this column. She brought with her and presented some great scientific information. After all of the boring stuff, she pulled out some dental trivia questions. I thought it would be fun to share the answers to these plus other little bits of information regarding dental history.

At the University of Buffalo, I was required to take a dental history class, which was taught by one of the premier authorities on this subject, Dr. Malvin Ring. Any of these items that I will write about are easily found on public information Web sites.

So let's get to the fun.

Our Listerine rep asked who knew when Listerine was first patented. This was done in 1846 by Dr. Joseph Lister. Original uses for the product were as a wound antiseptic, a pre-surgical scrub and also a mouth rinse. Listerine has also been used over the years as anything from a bathroom cleaner to a facial scrub.

The first dental school in the world was the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery which opened in 1840. This school is still open today as the University of Maryland School of Dentistry.

On a local note, the first woman to graduate from a dental school was Dr. Lucy Hobbs Taylor. She was twice denied admission to the Ohio College of Dental Surgery before being admitted. Where the local connection comes in at the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls. Despite feverish efforts from organized dentistry on a local, district, state and national level, Hobbs Taylor has been denied recognition as the first female graduate by this organization 10 years in a row. Hopefully this injustice will be corrected.

Although legend has it that our first president, George Washington, had wooden teeth, this actually is incorrect. Back in those days, denture teeth were carved out of hippopotamus teeth, elk teeth, walrus tusks or cow teeth. Washington, once he lost his last tooth, wore dentures with elk teeth set in a lead base. These were held against the gums with springs, which were attached to the upper and lower plates. These were only used for eating and were hardly successful at that. Anyone today with a well-fitting denture or an implant supported denture can be thankful for the advances in these prostheses.

There was evidence of fillings being placed in cavities dating back to the Egyptian pyramid times. Examination of mummified bodies revealed fillings being placed into holes in teeth. Pictures on the tomb walls described this process, which was kept only for royalty. The process of placing a filling as detailed in these pictures involved pouring molten gold in to the hole in the tooth. Quite a crude and painful method compared to the modern techniques we have today.

There is a patron saint of dentistry - St. Apollonia of Egypt. She preached the teachings of Christianity in ancient Egypt and was persecuted for it. She was brought before an idol temple and ordered to worship it. Upon her refusal she was tortured by having her teeth broken and extracted one by one. She was given one more chance to recant her Christian beliefs, and she again refused. She then prayed that anyone remembering her torture and suffering in their prayers be free from toothaches and then leapt into a fire pit on her own rather than be thrown there by her captors.

Hopefully you have found these bits of history interesting. In a future column, I will give explanation to a few other interesting dental history facts such as why the pole outside a barber shop is red and white and the precursors to dental anesthetics.

Dr. Michael K. Keating is a dentist in Auburn and can be reached at 252-7278 or e-mail him at DrMike@FingerLakesSmiles.com