History of Orthodontics in Brazil - First Brazilian Specialist.

Abstract

At the beginning of the 20^th century science was beginning to transform the world, including Brazil. All aspects of dentistry were considered essential to the welfare of the people and that may also have included orthodontics. It is possible then to assume that the manufacturing of some orthodontic appliances was already being taught in the educational courses. However, the lack of didactic orthodontic texts in Portuguese was a problem, when considering literature as one of the pillars that would support advancements in the science and practice of orthodontics. This difficulty, however, was solved in 1910, when the third edition of the Odontological Manual by Coelho e Souza was published including a chapter on orthodontics. Some years later Carlos Lustosa became interested in this subject after reading the paper by Angle that presented the ribbon arch appliance. He went to Pasadena (CA) and convinced Angle to accept him as a student. In 1923 he completed the course at the Angle School of Orthodontia, becoming the first Brazilian specialist in orthodontics. He treated patients with the ribbon arch until his death in 1937. However, did his search for knowledge outside the country influence the course of Brazilian orthodontics?