The Menzies Campbell Lecture. The fair face of dentistry--from anathema to acceptance

'What is history?' was the challenge issued by Gibbon, the great historian of the Roman Empire. 'Little more', he observed, 'than a register of the crimes, follies and misfortunes of men'. In this lecture I will attempt to redress this inequality and demonstrate that the 'crimes, follies and misfortunes' of women also have a place in history and, at the same time, uncover the 'fair face of dentistry'. I intend to paint a wide canvas, and to relate events and achievements to the sociological changes of contemporary society.