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Tooth Worm
The idea of a tooth worm has been around for thousands of years. Many cultures believed that worms living in the tooth were the cause of dental caries, periodontitis and toothaches. Starting in the 1700s, scientists began to disprove the theory.
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Located south of Baghdad in modern-day Iraq, the ancient city of Babylon was the center of Mesopotamian civilization from 1895—539 BCE.
Ancient cuneiform texts from Babylon say the tooth worm told the goddess Ea that it wanted to ruin teeth.
