MODERN DENTAL ASSISTING
14TH EDITION
CHAPTER 1: HISTORY OF DENTISTRY
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
1. Who was the first woman to become a dental assistant?
a. Jennie D. Spurrier
b. Malvina Cueria
c. Irene Newman
d. Lucy B. Hobbs-Taylor
ANS: B
Malvina Cueria was the first female dental assistant. Jennie D. Spurrier was the first female
dentist in Illinois. Irene Newman was the first female dental hygienist. Lucy B. Hobbs-Taylor
was the first woman to graduate from a recognized college of dentistry.
DIF: Recall REF: p. 10 OBJ: 4
TOP: CDA, GC, II. Patient Management and Administration
2. Who is known as the “Father of Modern Dentistry”?
a. Hippocrates
b. Leonardo da Vinci
c. G.V. Black
d. Pierre Fauchard
ANS: D
Pierre Fauchard is considered the “Father of Modern Dentistry.” Hippocrates is known as the
“Father of Medicine.” Leonardo da Vinci was the first to describe the difference between
premolars and molars. G.V. Black is known as the “Grand Old Man of Dentistry.”
DIF: Recall REF: p. 4 OBJ: 2
TOP: CDA, GC, II. Patient Management and Administration
3. The Hippocratic Oath is an obligation to
a. uphold the ethical principles of the American Medical Association.
b. practice within the bounds of a particular specialty and to refer when indicated.
c. maintain standards to maintaining and transferring patient records according to
, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
d. refrain from wrongdoing and to treat patients to the best of one’s ability.
ANS: D
The Hippocratic Oath is the basis for the code of ethics for the medical and dental professions
and is based on the solemn obligation to “do no harm” to the patient. Hippocrates lived from
460 to 377 BC and created the Hippocratic Oath long before the existence of the American
Medical Association. The Hippocratic Oath did not address when referral to a specialist is
appropriate. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was enacted by
Congress in 1996.
DIF: Application REF: p. 3 OBJ: 2
TOP: CDA, GC, II. Patient Management and Administration
4. Who was the first to write about nerves in the teeth?
a. Pierre Fauchard
b. Claudius Galen
c. John Baker
d. Leonardo da Vinci
ANS: B
Claudius Galen (130–200 AD) was the first to write about nerves in the teeth. Pierre Fauchard
developed dentistry as an independent profession and originated the title of “surgeon
dentist.” He also dispelled the theory that tooth decay was caused by tooth worms. John
Baker was a physician and dentist who practiced in colonial America. Leonardo da Vinci
sketched every internal and external structure of the body. He was the first anatomist to
describe the differences between molars and premolars.
DIF: Recall REF: p. 4 OBJ: 2
TOP: CDA, GC, II. Patient Management and Administration
5. Which dentist from the United States is credited as the “Grand Old Man of Dentistry”?
a. Samuel Stockton
b. John Baker
c. Paul Revere
d. G.V. Black
ANS: D
G.V. Black developed the principle of “extension for prevention” and standardized rules for
cavity preparation and filling. Samuel Stockton established the S.S. White Dental
Manufacturing Company in 1825 and began manufacturing porcelain teeth. John Baker was
the earliest medically trained dentist to practice in the United States. Paul Revere is credited
with beginning the science of forensic dentistry, by performing the first identification of a
corpse based on dental history.
, DIF: Recall REF: p. 6 OBJ: 2
TOP: CDA, GC, II. Patient Management and Administration
6. Which dentist is credited with the discovery of inhalation anesthesia?
a. Horace Hayden
b. Frederick McKay
c. Horace Wells
d. G.V. Black
ANS: C
Horace Wells is credited with the discovery of inhalation anesthesia in 1844. Horace Hayden,
along with Chapin Harris, established the first dental school in the world in Baltimore,
Maryland. Frederick McKay discovered that fluoride is connected with the prevention of
dental caries. G.V. Black earned the title of the “Grand Old Man of Dentistry” through his
unmatched contributions to the dental profession.
DIF: Recall REF: p. 6 OBJ: 2
TOP: CDA, GC, II. Patient Management and Administration
7. Who was a silversmith and United States patriot who worked as an amateur dentist?
a. Paul Revere
b. Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen
c. G.V. Black
d. Pierre Fauchard
ANS: A
Paul Revere offered services to clean teeth and wire false teeth. Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen
discovered x-rays in 1895. G.V. Black standardized dental materials and dental instruments
and authored more than 500 dental articles. Pierre Fauchard is considered the “Father of
Modern Dentistry.”
DIF: Recall REF: p. 5 OBJ: 2
TOP: CDA, GC, II. Patient Management and Administration
8. What important medical discovery did Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen make in 1895?
a. Inhalation anesthesia
b. X-rays
c. Amalgam
d. Novocaine
ANS: B
, X-rays were discovered by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen (1845-1923). Horace Wells is credited
with the discovery and first use of nitrous oxide in 1844. Amalgam was first used by the
Chinese and then in the West by M. Taveau in 1826. Novocaine was created in Germany in
1905 and was found to be effective when mixed with a proportion of epinephrine.
DIF: Recall REF: p. 6 OBJ: 2
TOP: CDA, GC, II. Patient Management and Administration
9. In some dental schools today, women represent _____% of dental students.
a. 31
b. 51
c. 71
d. 91
ANS: B
Today, women represent 51% of the dental school graduates who are active in dental practice,
associations, specialty organizations, public health, and the military. This percentage is
expected to increase.
DIF: Recall REF: p. 8 OBJ: 3
TOP: CDA, GC, II. Patient Management and Administration
10. Who was the first female African American dentist?
a. Ida Gray-Rollins
b. C. Edmund Kells
c. G.V. Black
d. Jessica Rickert
ANS: A
Ida Gray-Rollins was the first female African American dentist. The first dentist to use a dental
assistant was C. Edmund Kells, in 1885. G.V. Black was the “Grand Old Man of Dentistry.”
Jessica Rickert became the first recognized Native Indian female dentist in 1975. Both Ida
Gray-Rollins and Jessica Rickert attended the University of Michigan School of Dentistry.
DIF: Recall REF: p. 8 OBJ: 3
TOP: CDA, GC, II. Patient Management and Administration