Page 13 - Demo

1General Introduction, Outline and Aims11Background Aulus Cornelius Celsus (c. 25BC – 50AD) described a method for tooth extraction in his book De Medicina, in Latin. It was translated by James Grieve in 1814 to the following description: ‘But if a tooth occasions pain, and it seems proper to extract it, because medicines give no relief, it ought to be scraped all round, that the gum may be loosened from it; then it is to be shook; which must be continued till it move easily’ and ‘the tooth is to be taken out, if possible, by the hand, if not, by a forceps‘ [1]. Science in the field of tooth removal was mostly concerned with improving the design of different surgical instruments. The modern extraction forceps was introduced at the beginning of the 19th century by Cyrus Fay (circa 1819-1826), Figure 1. Earlier forceps held teeth at their greatest diameter, instead of the neck of a tooth. Furthermore, his design was meant to allow forces to be applied perpendicular to the jawbone [2]. Figure 1: Design of extraction forceps by Mr. Fay with an anatomical fit around the neck of the tooth as we see in modern day extraction forceps. Reprinted from the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, volume 45 / edition 6, ‘Cyrus Fay and the real origin of the modern day extraction forceps’ by B.S. Moskow, Page no. 520, Copyright 1987, with permission from Elsevier. Tom van Riet.indd 11 26-10-2023 11:59