[Exploring the origin of modern dentistry through The Surgeon Dentist, or Treatise on the Teeth]

As a landmark work marking the independence of dentistry to be a specialized discipline, The Surgeon Dentist, or Treatise on the Teeth (1728) by Pierre Fauchard is the first systematic, comprehensive, and accurate monograph introducing the basic theories and clinical techniques of dentistry in the history of dental medicine. Its core contribution lies in ending the long-standing state where dentistry was merely a minor branch of surgery with scattered knowledge, and establishing the first independent and complete academic system of dentistry. Based on the physical verification of the first edition collected by the International Museum of Stomatology and literature researches, this paper systematically analyzes the background, knowledge framework, and technological innovations of the book. It focuses on verifying its original contributions in dental diseases classification, instruments design, and clinical standardization. These review also traces the technical origins of various subspecialties in modern stomatology, and revisits the arduous transformation of dentistry from a crude craft to a refined science. Furthermore, it interprets the core spirits embodied in the book encompassing modest practice, benefiting the public, seeking truth from facts, and integrating learning with application, highlighting its milestone significance in disciplinary origin, knowledge inheritance, and spiritual guidance. This paper provides a historical reference for contemporary stomatologists to clarify the disciplinary context and inherit professional ethics.