The 18th century Spanish dentist. Legal training and social perception

During the so-called “century of the Enlightenment”, the activity of what today is called “dentistry” continued to be carried out in a picturesque way, with no lack of presence in the streets and squares of the country, although the creation of the Royal Colleges of Surgery came to alleviate the precarious situation of this minor part of surgery, thus initiating a path of slow progress until the definitive transformation that would take place at the end of the following century. In this article, the training of dentists and the perception of Spanish society at the time are mainly discussed.