Temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis in a British skeletal population

The potential role of dental function in TMJ osteoarthritis is examined in an ancient British population. Human skeletal remains from five archaeological sites in England (n = 369) were studied to assess the associations between the presence of osteoarthritis and dental function variables, in particular antemortem tooth loss and dental attrition. Individuals aged over 17 years with at least a portion of either the left or right TMJ were included in the study. Each individual was scored for the occurrence of arthritic lesions on the mandibular condyle and glenoid fossa, the level of dental attrition, and antemortem tooth loss. A loglinear analysis was performed with osteoarthritis as the dependent variable and tooth loss, attrition, sex, and age as the independent variables. Tooth loss and sex are not significantly associated with TMJ osteoarthritis when attrition and age are included in the analysis. Attrition is significantly associated with osteoarthritis even when the analysis corrects for age. The significant association of attrition with osteoarthritis suggests that dental functions may have an influence, separate from ageing, on the development of TMJ osteoarthritis.     

Coca chewing in prehistoric coastal Peru: dental evidence

In this study, we describe the dental health of four prehistoric human populations from the southern coast of Peru, an area in which independent archaeological evidence suggests that the practice of coca-leaf chewing was relatively common. A repeated pattern of cervical-root caries accompanying root exposure was found on the buccal surfaces of the posterior dentition, coinciding with the typical placement of coca quids during mastication. To further examine the association between caries patterning and coca chewing, caries site characteristics of molar teeth were utilized as indicators for estimating the likelihood of coca chewing for adults within each of the study samples. Likelihood estimates were then compared with results of a test for coca use derived from hair samples from the same individuals. The hair and dental studies exhibited an 85.7% agreement. Thus, we have demonstrated the validity of a hard-tissue technique for identifying the presence of habitual coca-leaf chewing in ancient human remains, which is useful in archaeological contexts where hair is not preserved. These data can be used to explore the distribution of coca chewing in prehistoric times. Simultaneously, we document the dental health associated with this traditional Andean cultural practice.     

Tooth wear and dental pathology at the advent of agriculture: new evidence from the Levant

Differences in patterns of diet and subsistence through the analysis of dental pathology and tooth wear were studied in skeletal populations of Natufian hunter-gatherers (10,500-8300 BC) and Neolithic populations (8300-5500 BC, noncalibrated) from the southern Levant. 1,160 Natufians and 804 Neolithic teeth were examined for rate of attrition, caries, antemortem tooth loss, calculus, periapical lesions, and periodontal processes. While the Natufian people manifest a higher rate of dental attrition and periodontal disease (36.4% vs. 19%), Neolithic people show a higher rate of calculus. Both populations manifested low and similar rates of caries (6.4% in the Natufian vs. 6.7% in the Neolithic), periapical lesions (not over 1.5%), and antemortem tooth loss (3.7% vs. 4.5%, respectively). Molar wear pattern in the Neolithic is different than in the Natufian. The current study shows that the dental picture obtained from the two populations is multifactorial in nature, and not exclusively of dietary origin, i.e., the higher rate and unique pattern of attrition seen in the Natufian could result from a greater consumption of fibrous plants, the use of pestles and mortars (which introduce large quantities of stone-dust to the food), and/or the use of teeth as a "third hand." The two major conclusions of this study are: 1) The transition from hunting and gathering to a food-producing economy in the Levant did not promote changes in dental health, as previously believed. This generally indicates that the Natufians and Neolithic people of the Levant may have differed in their ecosystem management (i.e., gathering vs. growing grains), but not in the type of food consumed. 2) Changes in food-preparation techniques and nondietary usage of the teeth explain much of the variation in tooth condition in populations before and after the agricultural revolution.     

Dental health indicators of hunter-gatherer adaptation and cultural change in Siberia's Cis-Baikal

This investigation of the Cis-Baikal dental record focuses on health and lifestyle reconstruction of the region's mid-Holocene foragers, with particular interest in an apparent fifth millennium BC biocultural hiatus. The four cemetery populations considered represent two distinct biological and cultural groups separated by an apparent 700-year hiatus: the late Mesolithic-early Neolithic Kitoi culture (6800-4900 BC) and the middle Neolithic-early Bronze Age Serovo-Glaskovo cultural complex (4200-1000 BC). Research focuses on the frequency and severity of seven dental health indicators: enamel hypoplasia, caries, alveolar defects, periodontitis, antemortem tooth loss, dental calculus, and dental attrition. Together, these seven indicators provide a basis not only for better understanding mid-Holocene lifeways in the Cis-Baikal but also for independently assessing the relative effectiveness of the different adaptive strategies employed by pre- and posthiatus peoples. Results reveal some discrepancies between the Kitoi and Serovo-Glaskovo, specifically in their relative vulnerability to physiological stress, providing evidence to support previous interpretations of their distinct adaptive regimes (namely the narrower resource base and decreased mobility of the former). Results also suggest that some of the differences observed among the four sites may reflect geographical or environmental factors rather than simply cultural ones. However, despite these distinctions, the overriding trend appears to be one of general continuity, social equality, and good health among all mid-Holocene occupants of the Cis-Baikal, pre- and posthiatus alike.     

Effect of coca-leaf chewing on salivary progesterone assays

Although there is evidence for reduced fertility in Andean and Himalayan populations at higher altitudes, factors other than hypoxia may be primarily responsible. A valuable approach in the investigation of these fertility determinants is the use of salivary steroid assays. However, coca-leaf chewing—a ubiquitous practice among high altitude Andean populations—has negative consequences for the accurate measurement of ovarian steroids. This report evaluates the effects of coca-leaf chewing on assays of salivary progesterone. Study participants include naive and habitual users of coca leaf from La Paz and El Alto, Bolivia. Approximately 300 saliva samples were collected immediately before, during, and after coca-leaf chewing. The series includes samples with and without the alkaloid enhancer typically used by coca-leaf chewers. Coca chewing produces false salivary progesterone values that mimic luteal phase values. On the basis of this study, an appropriate protocol is developed for the collection of salivary samples in coca-leaf chewing populations. These results verify the feasibility of salivary assays, even for very difficult field conditions, and highlight the necessity of establishing suitable collection procedures before full field implementation of saliva sampling. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Tooth wear and dental pathology of the Bronze-Iron Age people in Xinjiang, Northwest China: Implications for their diet and lifestyle

Tooth wear and dental pathology related to diet and lifestyle were investigated in the human dental remains unearthed from three archaeological sites of Bronze Age and Iron Age in Xinjiang of northwest China, and in comparative samples from two Neolithic sites in Henan and Shanxi in central China along the Yellow River.Our results indicate that the average tooth wear on most tooth types in the three Xinjiang sites was close to those of the Neolithic samples from central China. The variation within the Xinjiang samples was also explored. Some special wear patterns such as severe wear on the first molar and relatively heavy wear of anterior teeth were observed on the specimens from the Xinjiang sites. Obvious differences in caries and antemortem tooth loss were found between Xinjiang and comparative samples with higher frequencies of caries observed in samples from central China and higher antemortem tooth loss in samples from the Xinjiang sites. Strongly developed exostoses (tori) were also identified on mandibles and maxillae of the specimens from Xinjiang.The authors believe that the differences in tooth wear and dental pathology between Xinjiang and central China were caused by differences in diet and lifestyle. Food of a harder texture was consumed by the people who lived in Xinjiang than by the people in Henan and Shanxi of central China. The higher occurrence of heavily worn anterior teeth and some other special wear patterns, antemortem tooth loss and presence of exostoses on jaw bones in Xinjiang suggest that the people in Xinjiang lived in a relatively harsh environment, frequently gnawing hard objects, or using teeth as some kind of tools. All these activities put masticatory organs under a heavy load. The differences in caries frequencies between the frontier and central areas of China indicate that food richer in carbohydrates was consumed by the people in the central areas.It is proposed that about 3000-2000 years BP in many areas of frontier Xinjiang, people mainly relied on the type of hunter-gatherer economy with agriculture playing a smaller role in their lifestyle.     

Artificial mummies from the Andes

In 1997 agricultural workers, turned into looters, found an intact funerary site in the cloud forest in northeastern Peru. A prompt archaeological rescue project permitted the recovery of an important collection of mummies and artifacts that are providing important insights about the archaeology of the Chachapoya people that established in this area around 900 AD up to the Inca conquest of this territory around the year 1475. The mummies recovered showed evidence of cultural practices devised and used to assure the preservation of the human bodies. Such practices are also reported for among Chinchorro and Chiribaya mummies in the Andes. A cultural interpretation of these funerary activities is discussed connecting the practice of the cult to the ancestors to the access and management of resources and territory.     

Oral health of the Paleoamericans of Lagoa Santa,central Brazil

The peopling, origins, and early prehistory of the Americas are topics of intense debate. However, few studies have used human remains to document and interpret patterns of health and lifestyle of Paleoamericans. This study provides the first investigation to characterize oral health in a series of early Holocene skeletal remains from Lagoa Santa, Brazil, a locality containing the remains of some of the earliest inhabitants of South America (10,000–7,000 BP). The sample is composed of 949 teeth and 1925 alveoli from an estimated 113 individuals excavated from 17 archaeological sites located in the State of Minas Gerais. We compare dental caries and abscess prevalence at Lagoa Santa to a large sample of human skeletons from the Western Hemisphere Project (WHP) database using both individual and tooth/alveolus count methods. In addition, antemortem tooth loss and tooth wear were analyzed in Lagoa Santa by sex and age. The results show that Lagoa Santa dental caries and abscess prevalence are significantly higher than observed among other hunter–gatherers included in the WHP database, except when abscess prevalence is considered by individual count. Adult females have less tooth wear coupled with higher prevalence of dental caries and antemortem tooth loss than adult males. These results point to an unexpected record of poor oral health at Lagoa Santa, especially among females. A diet based on a highly cariogenic combination of wild tubers and fruits is suggested as an explanation for the elevated rate, characterizing an early adaptation to a tropical environment in South America. Am J Phys Anthropol 154:11–26, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Severe wear and tooth loss in wild ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta): a function of feeding ecology, dental structure, and individual life history

The ring-tailed lemurs at Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve, Madagascar, exhibit a high frequency of severe wear and antemortem tooth loss. As part of a long-term study, we collected dental data on 83 living adult ring-tailed lemurs during 2003 and 2004. Among these individuals, 192 teeth were scored as absent. The most frequently missing tooth position is M1 (24%). As M1 is the first tooth to erupt, its high frequency of absence (primarily a result of wear) is not remarkable. However, the remaining pattern of tooth loss does not correlate with the sequence of eruption. We suggest that this pattern is a function of 1) feeding ecology, as hard, tough tamarind fruit is a key fallback food of ring-tailed lemurs living in gallery forests; 2) food processing, as tamarind fruit is primarily processed in the P3-M1 region of the mouth; and 3) tooth structure, as ring-tailed lemurs possess thin dental enamel. The incongruity between thin enamel and use of a hard, tough fallback food suggests that ring-tailed lemurs living in riverine gallery forests may rely on resources not used in the past. When comparing dental health in the same individuals (n=50) between 2003 and 2004, we found that individual tooth loss can show a rapid increase over the span of one year, increasing by as much as 20%. Despite this rapid loss, individuals are able to survive, sometimes benefiting from unintentional assistance from conspecifics, from which partially processed tamarind fruit is obtained. Although less frequent in this population, these longitudinal data also illustrate that ring-tailed lemurs lose teeth due to damage and disease, similar to other nonhuman primates. The relationship between tooth loss, feeding ecology, dental structure, and individual life history in this population has implications for interpreting behavior based on tooth loss in the hominid fossil record.     

Dental pathology of prehistoric residents of Oregon

Dentitions of 208 prehistoric skeletal specimens from five geographic regions of Oregon were studied to describe their dental status. Comparisons were made of the incidence of specific pathologies among regions and between jaws. Maxillary premortem tooth losses were significantly higher than mandibular tooth loss. A relatively high caries incidence occurs in samples from the Willamette Valley and Klamath Basin, where plant foods were used aboriginally to a significant extent. A high frequency of abscesses was recorded in the Klamath Basin and the Lower Columbia River sample, which also showed the highest levels of attrition. Each of the five subsamples shows patterns of dental pathology consistent with former use of natural resources.     

Socio-cultural factors in dental diseases in the Medieval and early Modern Age of northern Spain

The aim of this study is to present, discuss and compare the results of pathological conditions in teeth from skeletal remains found in the northern part of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain) in four Medieval cemeteries (late 15th century) and three cemeteries from the Modern Age (late 18th century). The final objective was to evaluate the impact of socioeconomic and cultural changes that took place during the early Modern Age in Spain, on oral health. Dental caries and antemortem tooth loss were considered as indicators of dental disease. A significant increase of both dental caries and antemortem tooth loss occurred in Modern Age individuals when compared to Medieval values, as reported for other regions. Increased trade with other continents may explain this deterioration of dental health, as food exchanges (mainly with America) contributed to diet changes for the overall population, including higher carbohydrate consumption (introduction of potatoes) at the expense of other vegetables. A sex-specific increase of dental disease with age, and a significantly higher prevalence of carious lesions in Modern Age females than in males, were also found. These changes can be explained by women having had limited access to dental care after the Middle-Modern Age transition, as a consequence of socio-cultural and political changes. In these changes, an increasing influence of the Catholic Church in Spanish society has to be noted, as it can contribute to the explanation of the unequal dental health of men and women. Women were socially excluded from dental care by regulations inspired by religious precepts.     

Tooth dislocation: the relationship with tooth wear and dental abscesses

Tooth dislocation (tilting) was recorded in 1,200 skulls from 34 museum collections. The findings of dislocation by tooth type, tooth wear, and abscess location are presented. A model for dislocation based upon the progressive loss of tooth support provides a rational explanation for the phenomenon. Physiological continuous tooth eruption was considered to account for a component of the progressive loss of tooth attachment. The process of attrition, pulp perforation, and dental abscess cavity formation resulted in further, more severe loss of tooth support. Heavy functional forces, in association with greatly reduced bone support, tilted the crown lingually and root buccally. When the tooth had tilted to such an extent that the root apices protruded from the bone and, presumably (in life) through the gingival/mucosal tissues, the infected root canals were effectively isolated from the internal environment. The tooth continued to function. The more typical consequence of severe attrition and dental abscess formation was tooth loss; it also isolated an infected tooth from living tissue, but without the benefit of retaining function.     

The mandible--an analysis.

In this study, an attempt has been made to examine and analyse the ancient mandibles of people who have died several hundreds of years ago during the second and first millenium B.C. These mandibles have been recovered from the burial mounds in Bahrain (Arabian Gulf) and preserved in the National Museum and the Department of Antiquities in Bahrain. The dental conditions recorded are e.g. attrition, caries, fluorosis, periodontitis or antemortem tooth loss. The results indicate the age, sex, diet, occupation and environmental conditions that existed and even the culture of the people. A comparative study of the ancient mandibles and those of the present generation has been carried out.     

Role of wild plant foods among late Holocene hunter-gatherers from Central and North Patagonia (South America): an approach from dental evidence

This study evaluates the role of plant foods in the subsistence of hunter-gatherers that inhabited the Central East, Northwest, and Northeast Patagonia (Argentina) during the late Holocene (ca. 3,000-500 years BP). The goal of the present study is to assess the temporal variation of dental caries ratio and wear rate in skeletal samples to ascertain if the biological information supports the dietary shift toward greater consumption of wild plant foods around 1,500 years BP, suggested by other types of evidence. The authors registered caries, antemortem and postmortem tooth loss, and tooth wear from eight samples belonging to hunter-gatherers from Patagonia for which chronological sequences from early late Holocene (ca. 3,000-1,500 years BP) up to final late Holocene (ca. 1,500-500 years BP) are available. The results indicate that caries percentages in Patagonian samples fall within the range established for hunter-gatherers but there are significant geographical differences. In addition, caries ratio does not change significantly through time, so the amount of carbohydrates consumed seems to have remained fairly constant since 3,000 years BP. In contrast, there is a marked temporal trend toward the reduction of wear rates in the three areas, suggesting a faster rate in early late Holocene than in final late Holocene. These results would reflect a change to less hard and/or abrasive diets in the final late Holocene, probably owing to differences in food processing methods employed.     

A new approach for calibrating dental caries frequency of skeletal remains

It is a fact that researchers make use of various calibration methods for calculating and correcting dental caries frequency. The lack of standardization and accuracy of such methods has made it difficult for the researchers to draw reliable and differentiated conclusions from caries frequencies. Besides, the number of studies on how far the calculation methods reflect the "real" caries frequency is very limited. In this study, various methods for calculating caries frequency in skeletal samples are discussed and a new calculation method is proposed for estimating "real" caries frequency. The Hardwick's correction, which is one of the methods discussed in this study, is not successful in estimating "real" caries frequency as it proposes standard values for different life styles and dietary habits. The decayed and missing index is also considered inefficient as it assumes that all antemortem tooth loss is due to caries. The caries correction factor, proposed by Lukacs, achieves more successful results by considering factors other than caries in antemortem tooth loss, but because it does not differentiate between the anterior and posterior tooth groups during calculation, the results to be obtained therefrom may deviate from actual figures. In order to correct any such deviation, the caries correction factor must be applied separately for the anterior and posterior teeth groups since the resistance of each group to cariogenic factors is different. All the methods outlined above do not consider the effects of postmortem tooth loss on caries frequency. As a result, these methods are still far from reflecting a reliable caries frequency. The application of a proportional correction factor--as a technique newly introduced here--corrects the deviation caused by postmortem tooth loss and achieves more realistic results.     

Biomechanical association of dental and temporomandibular pathology in a medieval Nubian population

An analysis of the relationship between oral pathology and degenerative change at the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) was undertaken on an archaeological sample of 122 adult crania from the Medieval site of Kulubnarti in Sudanese Nubia. The crania were sorted into 2 groups: those demonstrating clearly visible bony changes at the joint (TMJ+) and those without visible change (TMJ-). These groups were compared according to 1) age; 2) sex; 3) active dental pathologies (abscesses, caries, partial socket resorption); 4) tooth loss with complete socket resorption; and 5) dental attrition. No statistically significant association was evident between degenerative change at the TMJ and age, active dental pathologies, or dental attrition; however, sex differences and posterior tooth loss with complete socket resorption revealed a significant correspondence to degenerative TMJ changes. Both of these factors agree with the clinical literature and with biomechanical models (most notably that of Hylander) based upon modern populations. Furthermore, the results support the contention that paleopathological conditions can be analyzed from a clinical and functional biomechanical perspective.     

Skeletal evidence of health and disease in pre-contact Alaskan Eskimos and Aleuts

There have been relatively few paleopathological studies of arctic populations to date, compared to other regions of North America. Studies aimed at elucidating patterns of health and disease in arctic peoples prior to contact and assessing inter- and intraregional differences in disease patterns have been particularly few. In the present study, five pre-contact skeletal samples (N = 193), representing 4 Eskimo populations from northern coastal Alaska and 1 Aleut population from the eastern Aleutian Islands, were examined macroscopically for the following indicators of health status: cribra orbitalia, porotic hyperostosis, trauma, infection, dental caries, abscesses, antemortem tooth loss, periodontal disease, and dental attrition. In addition, archeological and epidemiological data were used to help reconstruct the health of these populations. The goals of the analysis were 2-fold: 1) to assess the pre-contact health of North Alaskan Eskimos and Aleuts in order to provide a baseline comparison for the post-contact health of these groups, and 2) to determine if any differences in disease patterns exist between the Eskimos and Aleuts that might be related to differences in their physical environment, subsistence patterns, and cultural practices. The analysis revealed that both groups suffered from a variety of health problems prior to contact, including iron deficiency anemia, trauma, infection, and various forms of dental pathology. Statistical comparisons of the 2 groups revealed that Eskimos and Aleuts had different patterns of health and disease prior to contact. Most notably, the Aleuts had a significantly higher frequency of cranial trauma and infracranial infection than the Eskimos, while the latter had a significantly higher frequency of enamel hypoplasia. An examination of the physical and cultural environment of the 2 groups reveals several possible explanations for these differences, including warfare, subsistence pursuits, and housing practices. The documentation of these differences indicates that variability in pre-contact disease patterns can be identified between hunter-gatherer populations living in similar environments and exhibiting similar general lifestyles. Am J Phys Anthropol 107:51–70, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Periodontal disease in the Mycenean (1450–1150 BC) population of Aghia Triada, W. Peloponnese, Greece

This study investigates the incidence of periodontitis in a Mycenaean population unearthed at the cemetery of Aghia Triada (West Peloponnese, Greece) during the 1989–1997 field season. The material consists of 172 dry skulls. Demographic parameters of sex and age were difficult to be assigned due to the bad state of preservation of the skeletal material. The ratio was 50 males, 48 females, 65 unidentified and 9 children, and we estimated an average age of 38 years. In this work we used traditional and modern methods to determine the incidence of periodontitis in the archeological human dental bone. We also recorded other dental diseases, such as ante mortem tooth loss, caries and attrition. The results showed that periodontitis has affected 35% of the jaws. A notable percentage of the individuals — 24% — lost three or more teeth during their lifetime and a total 53% of the population had extracted teeth before death. This paper points out that the ancient jaws present a high proportion of ante-mortem tooth loss, attrition and deep caries, whereas the frequency of periodontitis does not seem to differ from that of other prehistoric samples.     

湖北郧县青龙泉新石器时代居民牙齿磨耗及健康状况

位于湖北省郧县境内的青龙泉遗址出土有仰韶、屈家岭和石家河等不同文化类型遗存, 被认为是中国新石器时代南、北文化交流的过渡地带。有关学者通过考古发现和同位素测试分析认为, 生活在青龙泉遗址的新石器时代居民已经具有发达的农业、家畜饲养业和渔猎,稻粟农业和肉类对居民的食物构成都有贡献, 但并不确定农业或渔猎是否占主导地位。本文通过对87例个体1075枚青龙泉新石器时代居民牙齿的磨耗、龋齿病、牙齿生前脱落、颌骨粗壮程度的观察、分析和对比, 试图从另一个侧面提供当时居民食物构成和经济模式的信息。本研究发现, 相比于其他中国新石器时代人类, 青龙泉居民的牙齿磨耗程度总体偏轻、臼齿磨耗角度多呈倾斜状、龋齿病出现率高、与生活状态相关的牙齿生前脱落出现率低、颌骨粗壮程度不明显。这些发现提示居民的食物较精细,加工程度高, 富含碳水化合物。基于本文发现, 作者认为农业经济在距今5000年左右的长江中游地区已经比较发达, 在居民食物构成中居主导地位,居民可能已经具有较高的食物制作加工技术。     

Dental paleopathology in a Serbian Medieval population.

Analysis of the pattern of dental disease in two Late Medieval populations from cemeteries excavated at archaeological sites in western Serbia was based on the study of tooth wear, ante-mortem tooth loss, caries, dental enamel hypoplasia, alveolar resorption, abscesses and calculus. The findings reported here show a high prevalence of attrition, alveolar resorption and caries, which suggest an abrasive diet and poor oral hygiene.