A history of arsenic in dentistry

J Calif Dent Assoc. 2007 Feb;35(2):135-9.

Abstract

The history of the use of arsenic in dentistry has been relegated to dental history. Once hailed as a panacea for the relief of pain and the answer to root canal therapy, it soon fell out of use mainly because of its misuse by unskilled and unscrupulous dentists in search of a quick fix to a complex problem. Such is the story of arsenic.

Publication types

  • Historical Article
  • Portrait

MeSH terms

  • Arsenic / history*
  • Arsenic / therapeutic use
  • Arsenic Poisoning / history*
  • Dental Pulp Devitalization / history*
  • History, 15th Century
  • History, 17th Century
  • History, 18th Century
  • History, 19th Century
  • History, 20th Century
  • History, Ancient
  • Humans
  • Toothache / drug therapy
  • Toothache / history*

Substances

  • Arsenic