Evolution of Stomatology through the Museum of Dentistry of Catalonia

Abstract

Background and objectives: From ancient Greece we have inherited the first texts written by physicians who passed on their knowledge of pathologies affecting the oral region. The aim of this work is to highlight
the continuity in the transmission of dental knowledge within medicine. Materials and Methods: The material for this text has been obtained from previous publications by the author, which demonstrate the contribution of stomatology and stomatologist physicians, and relate it to the items catalogued in the Museum of Dentistry of the College of Dentists and Stomatologists of Catalonia. Results: There are two parallel paths in oral health care between medicine and dentistry. Physicians and surgeons have always contributed their knowledge of oral pathologies as part of the overall set of human diseases.

The development of stomatology took shape at the Stomatological Institute of Barcelona and at the Hospital of the Holy Cross and Saint Paul in Barcelona, until the teaching of stomatology was established at the Complutense University of Madrid and, years later, at the University of Barcelona. Conclusions: There were periods of interaction between medicine and dentistry from the second half of the 19th century onward, with alternating phases

until the present day, when dentistry has become part of the Health Sciences. Portugal, along with some European countries such as Belgium, continues to uphold the tradition of stomatology at a high level.