This lecture intends to reveal comprehensively the different aspects of dentistry, dental health and dental diseases in ancient Egypt. Two categories of materials are juxtaposed: the original documents and sources on ancient Egyptian medicine (including the validity and effectiveness of the medical Papyriremedies on dental cure), and an analysis of the actual status of dental diseases revealed in the mummies and other human remains.

The lecture will discuss the existence of Dentistry as a “true” profession in ancient Egypt; the known dentists, evidences for their practice and surgical interference, discovered teeth bridges and medical instruments.Analyzing the results of several studies, that have dealt with human remains, (mummies, skulls, jaws and teeth), we will try to know how sound the teeth of the ancient Egyptians were and what the most common diseases, anomalies and malformation their teeth suffered from. Thus, these dental remains can lead to a wealth of information about the life of particular individuals, their nutrition, habits and environment, the age at death time, gender and the stress during childhood.

Hassan Saber is an Egyptian dentist who is also MA graduate of Egyptology, Cairo University, 2007. He currently works as a writer and editor at “Aswat Masriya”, Thomson Reuters Foundation. Publications include “The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts”,  and “Words for the Heart’s pleasure - The Ancient Egyptian Love Poems".