Appius Claudius Caecus
Dentatus was a tribune of the "plebs" sometime between 298 and 291 BC. As tribune, he foiled efforts by the "interrex" Appius Claudius Caecus to keep plebeian candidates out of the consular elections. If his tribunate is dated to 291, his actions advanced his own candidacy, but since Appius served three times as "interrex", the earliest date accords better with the timeline of Dentatus's own career.