Nothing but the Tooth: A Dental Odyssey

by Barry K.B. Berkovitz

While most books on dentistry describe the clinical and medical procedures involved, this book expands the field to examine the role of dentistry and teeth in everything from biology to biography. This book offers facts and figures regarding famous historical figures, such as John Hunter, Dr Crippen, Doc Holliday, and Paul Revere, exploring how their connections to dentistry shaped them, as well as the story of the two young dentists who discovered the principles of general anaesthesia. Other chapters focus on the amazing ranges of teeth in animals, from the teeth in piranhas to the tusks and ivory of elephants and narwhals, looking at their biological and cultural significance. The importance of teeth in understanding the evolution of humans and in revolutionizing the study of archaeology is also evaluated. This book is appropriate for dentists, medical and dentistry students, and non-specialists to introduce the myriad interesting aspects relating to teeth. Please note that print volumes do not include full colour.

264 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2012

Reviews

[Ibrahim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because of the interest I have in evolutionary biology, it happened that I noticed the importance of teeth or Dental Biology in the research done for the sake of that subject. Since then, I was eager to find a book that emphasizes the importance of the hard dental bodies and what they have to offer for the evolutionary biologist and the anthropologist.
After a great amount of research I came across this book, and it was greater than all my expectations.
This book was an inspiration and opened my mind to things and possibilities I would never had imagined they could come to exist.