Abstract

CRITICAL REVIEW OF LITERATURE OF DANTA WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO RACHANA SHARIR

*Dr. Umakant Sudhakar Chaudhari and Dr. Rahul Narhari Patil

ABSTRACT

The Vedic literatures are considered as the oldest and the most authentic treasure of knowledge to the mankind yet available. Our holy sages has explored and described the Indian medical science with vivid and vast details. They have described thousands of Indian herbs and remedies in dental and medical fields. Danta Shastra is as old as medicine in ancient India. The development of knowledge is known only when one has the comparative knowledge of the past and present in the particular subject. Our ancestors had a clear view of health and disease of body; this is applicable to the Danta also. As we all know Ayurveda has its celestial science of life the pre Vedic period scattered information regarding dentistry (Danta Shastra) in Ayurveda are found here and there. Perusal of dental literature reveals that dental diseases like caries and periodontal diseases are as old as human civilization. Danta Shastra or Dentistry is one of the sub specialties of Shalakya Tantra, the branch of Ayurveda which deals with the diseases of head and neck. “Danta” refers to Tooth and “Shastra” the science. All major treaties in Ayurveda give due importance to disease of teeth and related organs and their functional importance, care and specific therapies for the disorders are well explained. In Ayurveda scripts, teeth are explained as manifestation of Asthi dhatu and can be seen enumerated as a type of bone called ruchakasthi.

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