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In the last 150 years dentistry has faced myriad challenges as it has developed as a technical profession; but even greater struggles to develop a true scientific basis, one that permeates both the academic and practice sectors. In the latter part of the 19th century, technical advances abounded and clinical practice was empirically driven. The first few decades of the 20th century were a tumultuous time in the scientific evolution of dentistry, and many political barriers existed. The formation of scientific journals, research institutes, and a focus on dental education all contributed to a slow and sometimes agonizing evolution of the scientific development of dentistry. Today, while research endeavors are vast, the dental educational system and its embracing of new science within its curricula may not have kept pace with the vision of William J. Gies to revitalize the dental profession over 75 years ago. We are on the brink of a remarkable transformation for both dental education and the practice of dentistry, one that will require enhanced leadership, a revitalized vision and a passion for excellence to allow its continued progress and ultimate success.

Vilmos Vajna was born in Transylvania. His medical education was completed at Franz Joseph University of Arts and Sciences in Kolozsvár. He studied dental sciences in Vienna and Pest. After returning to Kolozsvár he obtained his habilitation ("venia legendi") and then lectured dentistry at this university. After finishing his academic carrier he moved to Budapest in 1895. While he practiced dentistry in his private office he made several technical innovations, constructed new instruments, and invented new technologies. He was an active member of the public life of the dental community.

This publication is an assessment of scientific articles published in the Fogorvosi Szemle over the last 120 years dealing with the evolution of complete dentures and the treatment of complete edentulousness. Qualitative and quantitative analysis was performed to find the annual average number of scientific articles and to find the authors who published the most in this topic. Publications had been collected and categorized according to author, year and subject and an extensive comparative analysis was carried out. Nineteen authors had four or more first author publications during this time period. According to content, publications were divided into four major groups. Finally, the research activity of three academic scholars, Imre Kemény, Miklós Kaán and Géza Prágai, was introduced briefly based on their articles published in the Fogorvosi Szemle. All of them have contributed significantly to the scientific advance and the academic education of complete prosthetics.

Among the publications fo the hundred years old Fogorvosi Szemle there are only a few deal with history of medicine. These are mainly biographies or go the advances of ages of dentistry.

Among all the publications of the hundred-years-old Fogorvosi Szemle, there are only a few that deal with dental materials relative to other areas of dentistry. However, even this small number of articles reveals the change and advancement of dental materials and technologies.

The aim of this review is to overview the development achieved in restorative therapy based on the publications in Fogorvosi Szemle during the past hundred years. The top quality of the restorative therapy was, and still has been the inlay, but nowadays the esthetic inlay -- fixed with adhesive material -- has priority over the gold inlay. The quality of amalgam fillings has been recently improved by using high-copper containing amalgam alloys. The development on the field of adhesive material and methods made it possible to give up the routine use of any conventional base material. The place of gingival wall of the cavity moved from subgingival position into supragingival position. The macro retention has been replaced by micro retention, and nowadays the cavity preparation prefers minimal-invasive techniques.

The history of the publication of biomedical journals parallels the development of modern medicine in Iran. Modern medicine was introduced to Iran in the mid-nineteenth century, particularly after the establishment of the Dar al-Fonun School in 1851. The foundation of this collage of higher education was instrumental in further advancement of modern medicine together with the publication of medical textbooks, but the biomedical journals were published later i.e. at the beginning of twentieth century and the first weekly public health periodical was established in 1901. From that point onwards, especially following the inauguration of the Faculty of Medicine of Tehran in 1934, the number and diversity of biomedical journals was gradually increased and their scientific quality was also improved. The present paper explores briefly the history of publication of 105 medical, dental, pharmaceutical, and public health journals from the early twentieth century up to the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

Most of the external forces hitting the body (automobile injuries, sport injuries, job accidents, falls, hits and fights) reach the head, and especially the oral and maxillofacial region. Statistics show the head is injured in more than 70 per cent of car accidents. The incidence of head injuries, specifically tooth injuries, is high among both infancy and school children. Authors give a review about the changing approaches of treatment principles in the reports published in the Hungarian dental journal 'Fogorvosi Szemle' in the past 100 years, and how today's modern treatment trends have evolved.

One of the greatest figures in the development of the dental profession to the high status it enjoys today is all but forgotten. Jonathan Taft was dean of the second dental school in the world and wrote the most important clinical textbook of his time, one that was reprinted in many editions over a quarter of a century. Later appointed dean of the new University of Michigan Dental School, he instituted innovations in admission requirements and course of study that were copied by all subsequent schools and are the standards adhered to today. The editor of one of the most important dental journals for 44 years, a record unmatched to this day, he set the standards for modern dental periodical literature that have done so much to elevate dentistry that today it stands on a par with medicine as a truly science-based profession. He served dentistry in many capacities: president of the American Dental Association, founder of the National Association of Dental Faculties, and founder of the National Association of Dental Examiners. Over his lifetime, he published almost 200 professional papers and probably attended and lectured at more dental meetings than anyone of his day and since. His memory should be resurrected, and the profession must be made aware of the great debt it owes to this intrepid fighter for a better dental profession.

Angle's legacy was assured when his disciples, both in the United States and abroad, boarded the joiners' bandwagon. The first 2 cornerstones of the professional pyramid were laid (education and organization), and the specialty began to pour the third cornerstone: orthodontic literature. Anthropologists, anatomists, histologists, and health professionals laid the foundation for the study of craniofacial growth.

A true profession is built upon a tripod: a formal organization, formal professional education, and a formal scientific literature. The United States was the leader in all three. In 1839-40, the American Society of Dental Surgeons was organized, the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery was established, and the first dental journal in the world, the American Journal of Dental Science, was founded. At that time there were only about three hundred trained and scientific dentists in the entire country; the rest were relatively untrained operators, outright quacks, or charlatans. In 1898, a list of the first subscribers to the first journal was discovered and published by G.V. Black. These initial subscribers may be considered the core group of truly professional American dentists. They became the leaders of the newly born profession of dentistry. Short biographies of some of them are included.

Purpose: To describe the growth and content of the prosthodontic literature over the last 4 decades, to make a prognosis on its probable development in the coming 4 decades and to discuss changes in the content of the International Journal of Prosthodontics (IJP) from its start in 1988 to 2004., Methods: MEDLINE was searched for articles on prosthodontics published between 1966 and April 2004. All volumes of IJP were examined with respect to type, subject area and geographic origin of articles., Results: Using the term "prosthodontics," the MEDLINE search produced 66,600 hits. The proportion of clinical studies increased from 1% during the first 10-year period to 13% since 2001. Articles on removable dentures decreased during the period reviewed, whereas those on implant prosthodontics increased. Randomized controlled trials were rare and often of inadequate quality. Literature reviews have become popular, but many do not follow current guidelines for systematic reviews. A marked change in geographic origin of articles in IJP has occurred, with a decrease in material from North America and an increase in that from Europe and Asia. The Internet and open-access publishing will probably have a great impact on the future development of the prosthodontic literature., Conclusions: Substantial changes have occurred in the prosthodontic literature between 1966 and 2004, and they can be expected to continue with the rapid development of information technology and increased use of the Internet.

The limerick is a popular form of light and poetic verse which was originally recited and sung in the local inns and taverns of Ireland and England. It may be anecdotal, nonsensical and/or ribald in nature. As a form of satire, it confronts society's "sacred cows" and/or foibles. During the mid-1800s, Edward Lear popularized this mode of expression in England. From there it spread throughout the entire world. By 1900, two branches of limerick writing were formed--the decent and the "smutty." In reviewing 7,000 traditional limericks, the authors have located about 50 significant dental, oral and/or facial limericks which are socially acceptable. In addition, we have produced 50 original poems of this nature. This article offers 33 traditional and new limerick "gems" for your reading pleasure.

The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the development of dental education and its present status as evidenced by published articles in the dental literature. The method used has been a stratified sampling review of 3 journals. The analysis of articles in the British Dental Journal (BDJ) covers 4 periods between 1903 and 1994. A separate study of more recent trends sampled the Journal of Dental Education (J Dent Educ) at 5-year intervals between 1977 and 1997 as well as all the articles published in the European Journal of Dental Education (EJDE) in 1997-98. The long-term survey (BDJ) indicated that the subject of dental education was already being seriously addressed in the early years of this century although articles were few. There was a progressive increase in the number and types of article published over the period of the analysis. Many of the issues addressed in the first half of the century were similar to controversial topics in the present day. In the analysis of recent years (J Dent Educ 1977-1997) the number of articles devoted to strictly educational subjects fell to be replaced by articles only indirectly related to dental education. No consistent pattern was discernible in the type of articles published. There was a paucity of review articles throughout the period. Research articles were proportionally higher in the middle years of the period of the study. Both in the J Dent Educ and the EJDE, the highest proportions of articles were those concerned with curriculum, teaching methods, assessment and quality issues. The paper advocates more evidence-based studies, qualitative research and systematic reviews of the dental educational literature. It concludes that there is a need and an opportunity for expansion of both the quantity and quality of published articles in dental education.

This article deals with the history of the Polish stomatological press in Lwow. It was initiated by a distinguished Polish stomatologist - Professor Antoni Cieszynski. In 1923 he founded a periodical "Dentystyka Polska" (Polish Dentistry) to publish original articles written by Polish and foreign authors, as well as review the stomatological literature and news. In 1930 the title was changed to "Polska Stomatologia" (Polish Stomatology). The articles printed there were very sophisticated; they were not limited only to the pathological dental changes and their treament, but also showed a holistic approach to the human being and demonstrated the relation between oral cavity diseases and changes of the entire body. Sometimes this publication used to be supplemented by a special edition, among others, "Slowianska Stomatologia" (Slavonic Stomatology) or jubilees' editions. The article presents the review of the issues examined in the Lwow stomatological press and describes the conditions in which these publications were created.

The university study of psychology originated in France in the 1880's. The first practitioners conceived of it as psychophysiology, a natural science, as opposed to an aspect of spiritual philosophy, which needed to be understood in a specific political context. This paper analyses this seminal period through the militant activity of its main architect, Theodule Ribot (1839-1916). It particularly questions the orientations of the Revue philosophique, founded in 1876, which proved a rally-point for the young philosophers and physicians who derived from Ribot their alliance strategy within the medical milieu. The inquiry is continued to the turn of the century, when psychology became firmly institutionalized.

Throughout recorded history the dental ills of mankind have been treated by medical specialists particularly associated with surgery. However, deep-rooted cultural tradition relegated surgeons and those engaged in the dental art to a class deemed socially, intellectually and economically inferior to that of the physician, causing widespread neglect of dentistry until the 16th century. Organizational developments and advances in the technology of medicine and surgery during the next two centuries in Europe engendered the emergence of dentistry from a virtual trade to a recognized specialty of medicine, setting the stage for its phenomenal growth in 19th century America. Perceiving the common need, far-seeing and dedicated representatives of dentistry organized, collected available literature, instituted an unprecedented system of dental education, eliminated the untutored and untrained practitioner, and left the heritage of an independent and honored self-governing health care profession.

This final part of the centenary series covers Kramer and McLean's paper, 'The response of the human pulp to self-polymerising acrylic restorations', which was one of the first papers to give such a detailed account and assessment of such changes. It is reviewed by Dr Graham Mount, who first met John McLean in 1973 and has worked closely with him since then.

This penultimate part of the centenary series looks at E Matthews' paper on "The alginates in dentistry' and is reviewed by Mike Braden. In the paper, Matthews discussed the need to find a suitable alternative to certain dental materials such as agar agar when the main supplier of this, Japan, entered the Second World War.

It was no accident that Warren Harvey's paper on 'Tooth temperature with reference to dental pain while flying' was published during the Second World War, as Harvey was given the opportunity to investigate this subject after aircrew reported dental problems during flight. Group Captain Peter Richardson of the RAF Institute of Dental Health and Training reviews the paper.