Dental wear and oral pathology among sex determined Early Bronze-Age children from Franzhausen I, Lower Austria (original) (raw)
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Slovenská archeológia LXVIII – 1, 2020
The paper presents results of the dental state analysis in non-adult and adult individuals from the Early Bronze Age cemetery in Pata (Diely site), southwestern Slovakia. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of dental caries and periapical inflammatory processes and compare it with the populations living in the territory of Slovakia during the Bronze and Early Middle Ages. Non-adults consisted of individuals both with deciduous and mixed dentition. The children with deciduous dentition had all teeth intact. In group of non-adults with mixed dentition, four individuals had deciduous teeth affected by dental caries (F-CE = 12.5%, I-CE = 5.7%). In adults, the analysis was carried out in 134 individuals (54 males, 69 females and 11 individuals of undetermined sex). The caries frequency (F-CE) reached 53.7%. The caries intensity (I-CE), consisting of the frequency of carious teeth (% C = 5.2%) and ante-mortem tooth loss (% E = 8.1%), reached 13.3%. Both the F-CE and I-CE have positively growing tendency with increasing age. No significant intersexual differences in the caries frequency and the caries intensity were found. Inflammatory periapical processes were examined only in adults. In 28 (20.9%) affected individuals, 62 (3.1%) alveoli were changed by the inflammation. The abscess/osteomyelitis was the most frequent (61.3%), followed by periapical granulomas (24.2%) and radicular cysts (14.5%). The prevalence of caries among Early Bronze Age population groups from Pata, Rumanová, and Melčice was similar, while in Branč and early medieval cemeteries their prevalence was significantly higher. We assume that the observed differences are related to a different lifestyle, especially dietary habits.
Archives of Oral Biology, 2015
Dental diseases represent a valuable source of information regarding the lifestyle, 1 social status, 2-4 diet and nutrition of past populations. 5-7 The structure and composition of dental components ensure the teeth's higher resistance to the effects of taphonomic factors and post-mortem damage. In contrast to bones, teeth are more often preserved undamaged, in their original state. 8,9 Most researchers have studied dentition only in adult populations. 2-4,6,7,9 Increased interest in the course of a r c h i v e s o f o r a l b i o l o g y 6 0 (2 0 1 5
New Armenian Medical Journal, 2014
Dental pathology related to the lifestyle and diet was investigated in the human dental remains unearthed from 10 archaeological sites of Bronze and Iron Ages in Armenia. In the course of human life the food composition, regular masticatory load can bring to pathologies of teeth and jawbones. The study indicates that the tooth wear in populations of Bronze and Iron Ages was approximately similar. According to observations, the antemortem tooth loss frequencies were higher in population groups of Bronze – Early Iron Ages than in those of the Late Iron Age sites, while the frequencies of caries decreased within the historical sequence. Such a difference in caries occurrence depended on different proportion of carbohydrates rich foods in the diet. The increased frequency of alveolar abscess, enamel hypoplasia, dental calculus, and periodon-tal disease was recorded in the specimens from the Bronze – Early Iron Ages. Asymmetry of teeth was more common in individuals of Late Iron Age, but statistically, this indicator does not confirm the differences between specimens of Early and Late sites. Isolated cases of traumatic dental injuries (microtraumas), hypodontia, hyperdontia, deformation in position of teeth and osteoar-thritis of the temporomandibular joints were recorded. It should be noted that for the first time on the territory of Armenia, we recorded pit-tubercles on crowns of mandibular molars, and the marker was helpful for identifying a possible genetic relationship between different ethnic groups.
Homo, 2022
This paper presents the changes caused by macroabrasion of teeth on skeletal remains found in tomb No 4 in the west necropolis of the archeological site Kopila near Blato on the island of Korčula. The site archeologically dates back to the Late Iron Age, when the island was inhabited by the Illyrians. The aim of this study was to assess the dental age of the buried individuals at death and determine the type of their diet, which could give us a preliminary insight into the socioeconomic standard of the inhabitants of the settlement. The analyzed sample is part of the collection of excavated skeletal remains kept in the Vela Luka Cultural Center on the island of Korčula. 284 permanent teeth, 19 fragments of the maxilla and 20 fragments of the mandible were found in the tomb, which were classified into 32 individuals and by sex. Teeth were analyzed by metric and non-metric methods of determining dental status in order to assess the dental age at the time of death and the diet of the inhabitants. The dental age of individuals was determined by the Lovejoy method and the degree of tooth wear by the Smith-Knight method. The analysis of the stable isotope 14 C determined the exact time of death of the analyzed individuals. The tooth wear changes were very pronounced and present on 92.9% of teeth, equally on incisors and molars (p = 0.236). There is no significant gender difference (p > 0.05 for all teeth and jaw parts). There was no difference in the degree of tooth wear of the teeth of the mandible and maxilla (t =-0.266, p = 0.791), nor in the degree of tooth wear of the teeth of the maxilla right and left (t =-0.392, p = 0.702) or in the degree of tooth wear of the teeth of the mandible right and left (t =-0.889, p = 0.390). The average age of the analyzed population sample was 35.6 (±3.1) years. They were buried between 360-40 BC. Tooth wear changes observed on the analyzed teeth indicate a diet rich in hard, weakly cariogenic food with particles that were probably of inorganic origin, which caused an increased wear of tooth structures. The population was sedentary, agricultural type and the life expectancy was normal for the Late Iron Age. Besides, their socioeconomic status was good. The age at the time of their death was between 30 and 40 years. Further studies should include more accurate and standardized methods for assessing the condition.
Dental Indicators of Health in Early Neolithic and Iron Age
This study introduces, for the first time, data recorded in some of the oldest Neolithic skeletons from Taiwan and investigates biocultural implications of changes in subsistence in the earliest Neolithic and later Iron Age Taiwan. Human skeletons from two archaeological sites in Taiwan are included. The first skeletal series is from the Nankuanli East (NKLE) site (n = 23 individuals) located in the Tainan Science Park, Tainan City in southwestern Taiwan. The NKLE skeletons are associated with the Tapenkeng culture (ca. 5000 years BP), the earliest Neolithic cultural sequence in Taiwan. The second skeletal series from Taiwan is from the Shisanhang (SSH) site (n = 23 individuals), an Iron Age site (ca. 1800-500 years BP) located in northwestern Taiwan. The main objectives of this study are to 1) document selected indicators of oral/dental (antemortem tooth loss -AMTL, dental caries, alveolar resorption, alveolar defects, dental calculus, and dental attrition) and physiological (linear enamel hypoplasia-LEH) health in the NKLE skeletons, 2) examine differences between male and female NKLE skeletons, 3) compare health in the early Neolithic and Iron Age Taiwan, and 4) place the prehistoric skeletons from Taiwan in a broader regional perspective.
Archives of Oral Biology, 2009
a r c h i v e s o f o r a l b i o l o g y 5 4 ( 2 0 0 9 ) 2 8 7 -2 9 7 Archaeobotany Middle Age a b s t r a c t Objectives: The aims of the present work were to determine the frequency and distribution of caries and tooth wear on paired maxillae of a mediaeval sample from southwest France in which the sex of the remains had been established, and to make a relation with the diet of this population. Materials and methods: The sample analysed consisted of the dental remains of 58 adult individuals (29 men and 29 women) excavated from the mediaeval cemetery of the archaeological site of Vilarnau d'Amont (southwest France). A total of 1395 teeth were examined.
Nutrients
Dental health is closely linked to an individual’s health and diet. This bioarcheological study presents dental caries and stable isotope data obtained from prehistoric individuals (n = 101) from three Early Neolithic sites (c. 5500-4800 BCE) in central Germany. Dental caries and ante-mortem tooth loss (AMTL) were recorded and related to life history traits such as biological sex and age at death. Further, we correlate evidence on caries to carbon and nitrogen isotope data obtained from 83 individuals to assess the relationship between diet and caries. In 68.3% of the adults, carious lesions were present, with 10.3% of teeth affected. If AMTL is considered, the values increase by about 3%. The prevalence of subadults (18.4%) was significantly lower, with 1.8% carious teeth. The number of carious teeth correlated significantly with age but not sex. The isotopic data indicated an omnivorous terrestrial diet composed of domestic plants and animal derived protein but did not correlate w...
Archives of Oral Biology, 2019
The aim of this study is to provide a detailed view of dental health in relationship to the diet of the Great Moravian population, with emphasis on childhood diet. Design: We studied skeletal samples of the early medieval population of the Mikulčice agglomeration (Czech Republic) originating from the cemetery of the church VI (91 adults). Stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen (intra-individual sampling-tooth and bone) was performed on this material, and dental characteristics (carious lesions, intensity of caries (I-CE), dental wear, linear enamel hypoplasia) evaluated. Results: Isotopic signals obtained from tooth and bone samples of the same individuals differ significantly. Tooth samples show higher δ 13 C and lower δ 15 N than bone samples. δ 15 N in tooth and bone samples is related to socioeconomic status. We discovered a relationship between isotopic signals from tooth or bone and intensity of caries and dental wear. Conclusion: We provide the first direct information about the diet of the juvenile part of the Great Moravian population from Mikulčice. The diet of children differed from the diet of adults. Children consumed more millet and less animal protein than adults. The social stratification of this population was obvious in dietary composition from childhood. Elites consumed more animal proteins than non-elite individuals. Tooth decay was related to relative consumption of plant and animal proteins. Greater dental wear is related to a diet based on C3 plants. There was no significant connection between diet composition and the formation of enamel hypoplasia.
American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 2019
Objectives: Bioarchaeological investigations of sex-based differences in the prevalence of dental pathological lesions, particularly caries, have drawn considerable attention, and out of this work, two dominant models have emerged. Traditionally, the first model interprets sex-related patterns in caries as a product of gendered differences in diet. A more recent model interprets a generally higher propensity for caries prevalence in females in light of reproductive ecology. To test the hypothesis that females have higher risk of caries in accordance with reproductive ecology , we examined and analyzed caries prevalence and other potentially synergistic oral pathological lesions in a late medieval (A.D. 1300-1500) Italian archaeological sample. Materials and methods: We examined sex-and age-related prevalence in caries and other oral pathological lesions in a late medieval Italian skeletal assemblage excavated from Villamagna consisting of 38 females and 37 males (n = 1,534 teeth). We examined age-and sex-related patterns in six dental traits: antemortem tooth loss, caries, calculus, periapical inflammation, tooth wear, and periodontitis. Results: Significant age-related increases in antemortem tooth loss, caries, calculus, and tooth wear were observed in both males and females. However, there was a lack of expected sex differences in oral pathological lesions, with instead older males exhibiting significantly more ante-mortem tooth loss and corrected caries than females. Discussion: Results are discussed in relation to the ethnohistoric context of medieval rural dietary practices as well as biomedical salivary literature, which suggest that dietary changes throughout the life course may have facilitated trade-offs that buffered females from higher rates of dental pathological lesions. K E Y W O R D S bioarchaeology, caries, dental anthropology, reproductive ecology, saliva