Charles Stent Charles Stent Charles Stent (1807–1885) was a 19th-century English dentist notable for his advances in the field of denture making. In 1847, Edwin Truman introduced gutta-percha as a material for making dental impressions; however, this was unsatisfactory for several reasons, including its tendency to distort upon removal from the patient's mouth, and to shrink upon cooling. In 1856, Stent added several other materials to the gutta-percha, notably stearine, which markedly improved the plasticity of the material as well as its stability. He also added talc as an inert filler to give more body to the material, and red colouring. The
Vere Stent of the "Pretoria News". He remained editor until 1920. Stent was also known as an art, theatre and literature critic. As a playwright he wrote one play, entitled "War and a Woman", which was produced in Pretoria in 1912. Besides many articles and reviews, his best known publications include "Short South African Stories" (1909, compiled with his sister, Joan) and . His own life is the subject of a biography by his daughters. Vere Stent Vere Palgrave Stent (1872-1941) Journalist and war correspondent, theatre critic, playwright and author Born in Queenstown, Eastern Cape in 1872, Vere was the son of