ПРОФИЛАКТИКАТА НА ОРАЛНИТЕ ЗАБОЛЯВАНИЯ ПРЕЗ РЕНЕСАНСА - ОТ ПЪРВАТА КНИГА ПО ЗЪБОЛЕЧЕНИЕ ДО ТРУДОВЕТЕ НА „БАЩАТА НА СТОМАТОЛОГИЯТА“
PREVENTION OF ORAL DISEASES IN THE RENAISSANCE - FROM THE FIRST BOOK ON DENTISTRY TO THE WORKS OF THE “FATHER OF DENTISTRY”

Summary/Abstract: During the Renaissance period, the systematization and dissemination of knowledge on the maintenance of good oral health as well as the prevention of oral diseases made significant progress in Europe. Healers, philosophers and the first book publishers of the period circulated contemporary works and treatises from antiquity on medicine, dentistry and body care. The aim of this study is to trace the development of the concept of prevention of oral diseases in information sources concerning the period between the 16th and early 18th centuries. Literature sources, including digital libraries, were examined using the keywords: history of dentistry, history of dental/oral hygiene, timeline, dental literature. The study included 18 original historical documents in Latin, French, German, English and Spanish. Information on the authors, titles and structure of the works was systematized. The content concerning oral care was extensively reviewed and analyzed. The first printed treatises in the 16th century were published in Latin as well as in other languages such as Spanish and German. The editions contain various recipes for powders, pastes and solutions for cleaning the teeth and oral cavity, original or borrowed from other authors of antiquity or the Middle Ages, and recommendations for avoiding excessive use of sweet and ‚sticky‘, hot and cold foods. The first attempts to introduce oral health education and behaviour change date back to the early 17th century. The establishment of an independent specialty of dentistry in the 18th century also provided the basis for the subsequent active development of a separate branch of dentistry - oral prophylaxis. Conclusion: Preserved works published during the Renaissance demonstrate attempts to solve oral health problems since ancient times. The ability to preserve and disseminate through printed publications the knowledge and methods for conducting oral prophylaxis formed the basis for subsequent searches by physicians and researchers in modern era and contemporary history for methods to preserve teeth and better oral health.

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