Endodontic treatment in China.

The article discusses endodontic treatment in China. According to the author, recordings of dental disease can be found in China by the period 1400-1100 B.C. The oracle bone inscription excavated from ruins of the Ying Dynasty showed the character meaning "caries." During that time people in China thought that caries was caused by the invasion of "worms" into teeth. Therefore the character "caries" was composed of a worm on top of a tooth. In "Nei-jing," the earliest known medical book in China, paragraphs about using acupuncture for the treatment of dental caries, especially for relieving pain, can be found.