John Mankey Riggs (October 25, 1811 – November 11, 1885) was the leading authority on

periodontal disease Periodontal disease, also known as gum disease, is a set of inflammatory conditions affecting the tissues surrounding the teeth. In its early stage, called gingivitis, the gums become swollen and red and may bleed. It is considered the main caus ...

and its treatment in the United States, to the point that periodontal disease was known as " Riggs' disease."Shklar, G; Carranza, FA: The Historical Background of Periodontology. In Newman, MG; Takei, HH; Carrana FA, editors: ''Carranza’s Clinical Periodontology'', 9th Edition. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company, 2002. page 7.

Biography

Riggs was born in

Seymour, Connecticut Seymour is a town located in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 16,748 at the 2020 census. Seymour is bordered by the towns of Oxford and Beacon Falls to the north, Bethany and Woodbridge to the east, Ansonia and Derb ...

and graduated from the

Baltimore College of Dental Surgery The University of Maryland School of Dentistry is the dental school of the University System of Maryland. It was founded as an independent institution, the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, in 1840 and was the birthplace of the Doctor of Denta ...

in 1854. He practiced dentistry in

Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

, and was seemingly the first individual to limit his practice to periodontics; he is thus considered to be the first specialist in the field. Riggs was an associate of

Horace Wells Horace Wells (January 21, 1815 – January 24, 1848) was an American dentist who pioneered the use of anesthesia in dentistry, specifically the use of nitrous oxide (or laughing gas). Early life Wells was the first of three children of H ...

, and was the first surgeon to operate with a patient under anesthesia by extracting Wells' tooth in 1844 while he was under the influence of

nitrous oxide Nitrous oxide (dinitrogen oxide or dinitrogen monoxide), commonly known as laughing gas, nitrous, or nos, is a chemical compound, an oxide of nitrogen with the formula . At room temperature, it is a colourless non-flammable gas, and has a ...

Role in early periodontology

Riggs was an opponent of periodontal surgery, which at the time consisted of

gingiva The gums or gingiva (plural: ''gingivae'') consist of the mucosal tissue that lies over the mandible and maxilla inside the mouth. Gum health and disease can have an effect on general health. Structure The gums are part of the soft tissue lini ...

l resection. He promoted the concept of proper oral hygiene and prevention. Riggs first demonstrated his method of conventional periodontal therapy in 1856: he removed salivary and serumal deposits and necrosed bone from the teeth with scrapers that he designed. He then applied a

tincture A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...

of powdered

myrrh Myrrh (; from Semitic, but see '' § Etymology'') is a gum-resin extracted from a number of small, thorny tree species of the genus ''Commiphora''. Myrrh resin has been used throughout history as a perfume, incense and medicine. Myrrh mi ...

and polished the teeth. He published his treatment in 1876.

Merriam-Webster Merriam-Webster, Inc. is an American company that publishes reference books and is especially known for its dictionaries. It is the oldest dictionary publisher in the United States. In 1831, George and Charles Merriam founded the company as ...

's Medical Desk Dictionary, Revised Edition. Springfield, Mass. 2002. page 721.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Riggs, John Mankey 1811 births 1885 deaths People from Seymour, Connecticut American dentists Periodontists 19th-century dentists