Stent: The Man and Word Behind the Coronary Metal Prosthesis

Interventional cardiologists implant stents every day. Stents are also used in numerous other medical disciplines such as plastic surgery, gastroenterology, urology, and oral and maxillofacial surgery.1–5 Uses range from rebuilding mandibles and other oral surgical procedures, constructing new ureters, keeping skin flaps, and as biliary conduits.6–11 What is the source of this word stent everyone is using in daily practice? This article describes the origin of the word, how it became so popular, its use in medicine outside the cardiovascular system, and the people who used this term first.The current acceptable origin of the word stent is that it derives from the name of a dentist. Charles Thomas Stent (1807 to 1885) was an English dentist notable for his advances in the field of denture-making. He was born in Brighton, England, on October 17, 1807 (Figure 1), and was the 6th son of William and Hannah Stent. He was a dentist in London and is most famous for improving and modifying the denture base of the gutta-percha, creating the Stent's compounding that made it practical as a material for dental impressions. His accomplishments led to his appointment as Dentist to the Royal Household in 1855.1–4Figure 1. Charles Thomas Stent (1807 to 1885). Image courtesy of the Journal of the History of Dentistry .Gutta-percha is a natural latex produced from tropical trees native to Southeast Asia and northern Australasia. In 1847 it was introduced as a material for making dental impressions. It was used to fill the empty space inside the root of a tooth after it has undergone endodontic therapy. Interestingly, this same material was also used for furniture, and, because of its good electric insulation properties, it was used also to insulate telegraph wires. Gutta-percha served as the insulating …