The idea of a tooth worm is a theory of the cause of

dental caries Tooth decay, also known as cavities or caries, is the breakdown of teeth due to acids produced by bacteria. The cavities may be a number of different colors from yellow to black. Symptoms may include pain and difficulty with eating. Complicatio ...

periodontitis Periodontal disease, also known as gum disease, is a set of inflammatory conditions affecting the tissues surrounding the teeth. In its early stage, called gingivitis, the gums become swollen and red and may bleed. It is considered the main cau ...

and

toothache Toothache, also known as dental pain,Segen JC. (2002). ''McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine''. The McGraw-Hill Companies. is pain in the teeth or their supporting structures, caused by dental diseases or pain referred to the t ...

s. Once widespread, the belief is now

obsolete Obsolescence is the state of being which occurs when an object, service, or practice is no longer maintained or required even though it may still be in good working order. It usually happens when something that is more efficient or less risky r ...

, having been superseded by more scientific rationales. It was supposed that the disease was caused by small worms resident within the tooth, eating it away.

History

The origins of the belief are wrapped in obscurity. A prominent early mention, a

Babylonian Babylonian may refer to: * Babylon, a Semitic Akkadian city/state of ancient Mesopotamia founded in 1894 BC * Babylonia, an ancient Akkadian-speaking Semitic nation-state and cultural region based in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq) ...

cuneiform Cuneiform is a logo- syllabic script that was used to write several languages of the Ancient Middle East. The script was in active use from the early Bronze Age until the beginning of the Common Era. It is named for the characteristic wedg ...

tablet titled "The Legend of the Worm" (sometimes erroneously dated to

Sumerian Sumerian or Sumerians may refer to: *Sumer, an ancient civilization **Sumerian language **Sumerian art **Sumerian architecture **Sumerian literature **Cuneiform script, used in Sumerian writing *Sumerian Records, an American record label based in ...

times), recounts how the tooth worm drinks the blood and eats the roots of the teeth – causing caries and periodontitis:

"After
Anu Anu ( akk, , from wikt:𒀭#Sumerian, 𒀭 ''an'' “Sky”, “Heaven”) or Anum, originally An ( sux, ), was the sky father, divine personification of the sky, king of the gods, and ancestor of many of the list of Mesopotamian deities, dei ...
ad created heaven
Heaven had created he earth
The earth had created the rivers,
The rivers had created the canals,
The canals had created the marsh,
(And) the marsh had created the worm—
The worm went, weeping, before
Shamash Utu (dUD " Sun"), also known under the Akkadian name Shamash, ''šmš'', syc, ܫܡܫܐ ''šemša'', he, שֶׁמֶשׁ ''šemeš'', ar, شمس ''šams'', Ashurian Aramaic: 𐣴𐣬𐣴 ''š'meš(ā)'' was the ancient Mesopotamian sun god ...
, his tears flowing before Ea: "What wilt thou give for my food? What wilt thou give me for my sucking?"
"I shall give thee the ripe fig, (and) the apricot."
"Of what use are they to me, the ripe fig and the apricot? Lift me up and among the teeth and the gums cause me to dwell! The blood of the tooth I will suck, and of the gum I will gnaw its roots!"

Accounts are also found in the Central American legends of

Popol Vuh ''Popol Vuh'' (also ''Popol Wuj'' or ''Popul Vuh'' or ''Pop Vuj'') is a text recounting the mythology and history of the Kʼicheʼ people, one of the Maya peoples, who inhabit Guatemala and the Mexican states of Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan a ...

. The belief persisted into the 18th century, only being disproven by the microscopical endeavors of M.

Pierre Fauchard Pierre Fauchard (January 2, 1679 – March 21, 1761) was a French physician, credited as being the "father of modern dentistry". He is widely known for writing the first complete scientific description of dentistry, ''Le Chirurgien Dentiste'' (''" ...

. Modern veterinary practice shows that when removed intact, the necrotic or partially necrotic tooth pulp can have an appearance like that of a worm.

Sinhalese Sinhala may refer to: * Something of or related to the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka * Sinhalese people * Sinhala language Sinhala ( ; , ''siṁhala'', ), sometimes called Sinhalese (), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language prima ...

Charm for toothache:

Ira deyené asyā!
Sanda deyené aeyā!
Passé Buduné acyā!
Daté nositoo dat aeyā!
Worm of the sun-god!
Worm of the moon god!
Worm of the Passé Buddha!
Stay not in the tooth, tou tooth-worm!

Evidence

Although no rigorous evidence was ever found, some practitioners believed the pulpal tissue within the root of the tooth to be a worm. Most however admitted to have never encountered a worm ''in vivo'', but nonetheless encouraged the belief among the general public. A 2009 study by the

University of Maryland Baltimore The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) is a public university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1807, it comprises some of the oldest professional schools of dentistry, law, medicine, pharmacy, social work and nursing in the United State ...

using micro imaging revealed worm-like structures within a dissected molar. While not worms or caused by worms, these structures may have given rise to the tooth worm belief. It is unclear what these structures are or what caused them.

References

External link

{{commonscatinline Tooth decay History of dentistry Obsolete medical theories