Journey Through Dental History: 70 Years of Chinese Stomatology Research

Over the past seven decades, the Chinese Journal of Stomatology has published around eighty articles focusing on the history of Chinese dental medicine. These articles can be divided into three main phases, reflecting shifts in both quantity and themes. Initially, the articles centered on dental history before 1912. However, as time progressed, the focus shifted to contemporary dental history. Early on, researchers like Zhou Dacheng and Mao Xiejun were at the forefront of this field. They primarily used summary and induction methods, drawing from literature and cultural relics. More recently, research teams from universities and institutions have taken the lead, employing multidisciplinary approaches.

As the research deepened, more platforms for publishing dental papers emerged. Various subjects were cross-disciplined, and several academic monographs on dental history and education were published. Zhou Dacheng's "Historic Textual Research of Chinese Stomatology" stands as a significant milestone in this field. Despite these advancements, there's still much ground to cover compared to other areas of dental medicine. The academic community needs to prioritize talent training, building the discipline, enhancing research methods, establishing museums, and fostering cooperation between Chinese and Western dental sciences to support long-term development in this field.

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