The Treatment of Toothache in Abû Bakr al-Rāzī, Kitāb al-Hāwī fī al-Tibb and the Usability of his Legacy of Phytotherapy in Modern Dentistry

This study examines dental pain narratives and treatments in Abū Bakr al-Rāzī’s Kitāb al-Hāwī fi al-Tibb. It compares his approaches to dental pain with current scientific evidence, especially in phytotherapy, and shows that Kitāb al-Hāwī continues to inspire future research on medicinal plants used in dental care. A multidisciplinary team translated and analyzed all chapters on oral and dental health from the original Arabic text. The section on toothache and its treatments was analyzed separately. The plants Razi suggested for treating dental pain were reviewed in recent pharmacy and dentistry journals from an ethnopharmacological perspective, and the data were presented in tables. His treatment methods primarily focused on pain relief through herbal remedies and cauterization, with tooth extraction recommended only as a last resort. Kitāb al-Hāwī fi al-tibb makes significant contributions to the history of dentistry, providing definitions of dental diseases, treatment methodologies, and the surgical instruments employed. Razi’s holistic approach to medicine offers valuable insights into the evolution of modern dentistry. Over ۹۰% of the herbal remedies Razi suggested for alleviating dental pain remain relevant today, highlighting the accuracy of his evaluations in the context of phytotherapeutics. Further investigation into the efficacy and safety of these herbal products could provide valuable insights for contemporary dental practices and treatments.

کلیدواژه ها:

Al-Hāwī ، humoral pathology ، Islamic medicine ، Persian medicine ، toothache ، Phytotherapy