PROGRESS OF DENTISTRY 443 



als used in the preservation of the teeth, and the only improve- 

 ment in it has been in the method of preparing and hning it in 

 the cavity. The earUer dentists had to prepare their own 

 iiiold, which was done by beating a coin very fine, or taking it 

 to a reguhir gold beater. 



Another factor in the advancement of American dentistry 

 which should not be overlooked, is dental legislation. During 

 the earlier periods of American history there were no legal 

 restrictions placed upon the practice of dentistry and any one 

 could take up work as a dentist if he desired to do so, but 

 the establishment of dental schools and the publication of 

 dental periodicals, together with the growth of the more liberal 

 ideas in the profession, gradually changed the state of affairs 

 in dentistry. A dentist holding a diploma from one of the 

 earlier colleges, and carrying with it a college degree, was given 

 more recognition on the part of the public, and held in higher 

 esteem than the irregular practitioner who had preceded him. 



The first state legislature to enact the law regarding the 

 practice of dental surgery, and regulating it, was that of the 

 state of Alabama. This law was passed in December, 1841, 

 and provided that from and after its enactment, all who de- 

 sired to practice dental surgery in that state should be ex- 

 amined by one of the medical boards, and that a regular quali- 

 fied dentist should be elected as a member of said board. In 

 this way we see the dentist recognized in the professional 

 world and given a legal status. IjCgislatures of other states 

 were very slow in following the example of Alabama. Legal 

 recognition by state legislation was not common until about 

 twenty years had elapsed, but between the years 1860 and 

 1868 laws regulating the practice of dentistry were made part 

 of the code of many states. During more recent years, the 

 organization of the various state boards of dental examiners 

 into a national board has been a great factor in improvement 

 and advancement, and in establishing more firmly the profes- 

 sional status of the dentist. The profession at large is to be 

 congratulated that in the harmonious working together of the 

 association of dental college faculties, the national board of 

 dental examiners and the national dental association — three 



