Tooth Decay
Hippocrates
The Greek Hippocrates is credited as the father of medical science. He founded the Hippocratic School of Medicine. He believed in leaving superstitions out of the medical field, and worked to identify symptoms of certain ailments and their causes. He also came up with the Hippocratic Oath, which makes doctors vow to do no harm to their patients. This oath is still used today. Alongside these accomplishments and discoveries, he also discovered the reason for tooth decay.
Causes of Tooth Decay
Hippocrates was the first to identify the presence of food between the teeth as a cause of tooth decay. When food stays in the teeth for long amounts of time, the bacteria in the mouth feeds on it. The bacteria builds up and becomes plaque. If this plaque is not cleaned away, it begins to eat away at tooth enamel. This eventually forms a cavity, or a hole in the tooth. Also, acid from food and beverages can wear away enamel. Hippocrates suggested that decaying teeth be pulled. In modern times, cavities are given fillings to prevent them from getting larger. Tooth decay is prevented by brushing, flossing, and drinking water that contains fluoride, a chemical that makes teeth more resistant to decay.
Modern Comparison: Glee
Glee is a musical dramatic comedy show about a group of high school misfits in a show choir. In the episode Britney/Brittany, a dentist comes to visit the Glee Club. After doing a check of everyone's teeth, he finds that not everyone's teeth are as clean as they should be. He calls some students in to have check-ups. He finds that dimwitted cheerleader, Brittany, has a cavity in every tooth! When Brittany finds this out, she explains that she doesn't brush her teeth, and she washes her mouth out with soda after every meal. Hippocrates' discoveries about tooth decay can explain the disastrous state of Brittany's teeth. The fact that she doesn't brush her teeth means that she leaves lots of food between her teeth, causing plaque build up, and later eating away her enamel. Also, the acid from the soda erodes away her enamel. This scene of Glee relates to Classical medicine because a medical discovery made by Hippocrates can be used to identify the reason for Brittany's extreme amount of cavities.