Művelődés-, Tudomány- és Orvostörténeti Folyóirat 2023. Vol. 13. No. 27.

Journal of History of Culture, Science and Medicine ISSN 2062-2597

DOI: 10.17107/KH.2023.27.43

History of gutta-percha in dentistry

This is part of the Encyclopedia of the History of Dentistry.

Dr. Andrew I. Spielman, D.M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Pathobiology, Director of the Rare Book Library and
Historical Archives, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, NY, USA.
[email protected]

Dr. Forrai Judit, D.Sc.,

Semmelweis University, Institute of Public Health, Department of History of Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
[email protected]

Initially submitted 10 Nov. 2023; accepted for publication 15 Nov. 2023

Please cite this article as: History of gutta-percha in Dentistry. In: Encyclopedia of the History of Dentistry. Forrai J,
Spielman AI eds. 2023. Doi: 10.32558/encyclopedia.dentistry.43

Abstract
Gutta-percha is a latex-like substance extracted from the sap of the Palaquium gutta tree belonging to the
Sapoptaceae family. Various dental specialties turned to gutta-percha in the second half of the 19th century,
including prosthodontics, endodontics, restorative dentistry, and oral surgery.

Keywords
root canal, gutta-percha, endodontic therapy

Gutta-percha is a latex-like substance extracted from the sap of the Palaquium gutta tree belonging to the
Sapoptaceae family. It can reach 20-30 m in height and 1 m in diameter and grows in Southeast Asia and
Australia. Gutta-percha used in dentistry refers to the rigid, rubber-like product, a resilient, inert, non-
conductive, heat-labile rubbery substance. Chemically, it is a polymer of isoprene.

Figure 1. The leaves of the Palaquium gutta tree.

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 Művelődés-, Tudomány- és Orvostörténeti Folyóirat 2023. Vol. 13. No. 27.
Journal of History of Culture, Science and Medicine ISSN 2062-2597
DOI: 10.17107/KH.2023.27.43

The word gutta-percha comes from the Malay names getah (latex) and percha (scrap). The
word getach was modified to gutta, which in Latin means drops.

John Tradescant the Elder (1570-1638), the head gardener to Charles I, King of England, was the first
European to bring back samples of gutta-percha in 1656. The practical use of gutta-percha had to wait almost
two centuries. William Montgomerie (1797–1856), a Scottish military doctor with the East India Company,
in 1842 introduced gutta-percha to practical uses in industry, namely as insulators for telegraphic cables.
For the next 100 years, it was used as such until polyethylene was introduced in 1940.

Gutta-percha in dentistry.

Various dental specialties turned to gutta-percha in the second half of the 19th century, including
prosthodontics, endodontics, restorative dentistry and oral surgery.

The material used as a denture base varied from gold, platinum, silver, or gutta-percha until Charles
Goodyear patented hard rubber (vulcanite) in 1844 (1). In 1848, Alphonse Antoine Delabarre, a French
dentist, introduced gutta-percha in prosthodontics as a denture base material and as an impression material
(2). Up to that point, impressions were taken with wax or plaster. Gutta-percha was an improvement.

Endodontic use of gutta-percha was not far behind. 1850, Gustave Blume, a Swiss dentist, suggested the
complete removal of the dental pulp enlargement of the canal with reamers to place a dowel pin. To hold it
in place, he created notches on the pin and placed gold foil to retain it. In 1859, Jonathan Taft suggested -
root canal enlargement and filling with gutta-percha softened in chloroform instead of gold foil (3). In the
1890s - Willoughby Miller, the originator of the chemo-parasitic theory of caries, suggested root canal filling
with thymol cement, zinc oxide, iodoform, and gutta-percha.

During the 19th century, when more frequent dental appointments required a temporary restoration, there
was the need for a material that would not harden too quickly or could be removed at the next appointment.
Gutta-percha, which debuted in the middle of the 19th century, appeared to fit the purpose. In 1847, Edwin
Truman used it as a temporary restorative material.

The first porcelain inlay was the work of Edward Maynard of Washington in 1857. He cut shapes from
porcelain teeth that fit a precisely prepared cavity and secured it in place with gold foil. Subsequently, the
inlay was secured with better-adhering gutta-percha or cement.

The functional impression using muscle molding was only three years away in 1864 in the hands of Johann
Joseph Schrott. The only impression material for the next 50 years was wax, plaster, gutta-percha, and
synthetic resin.

Gutta-percha was used in bite stabilization for mandibular or maxillary fractures. In 1847, Gurdon Buck
(1807-1877), a New York surgeon, proposed a wire suture passed through two holes next to the fractured
bones and a bite stabilization with gutta-percha. This procedure stabilized the fractured fragments in
occlusion.

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 Művelődés-, Tudomány- és Orvostörténeti Folyóirat 2023. Vol. 13. No. 27.
Journal of History of Culture, Science and Medicine ISSN 2062-2597
DOI: 10.17107/KH.2023.27.43

Figure 2. Gutta-percha cones used for root canal therapy.

Today, gutta-percha is used primarily in endodontic treatment (See Figure 2). The resilient rubber-like cones
are hard to replace and remain a mainstay of root canal condensation.

References

1. 1. Goodyear, Charles (1844) Improvements in India-rubber Fabrics. US Patent Office, Patent #3633, June
15, 1844.
2. Delabarre, Antoine Francois Adolph (1848). De la gutta-percha et de son application aux dentures
artificielles.
3. Taft, Jonathan (1859). A practical treatise on operative dentistry. London, Trubner, and Co. (p.253; p.277).

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