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Snoddy AME, Shaw H, Newman S, Miszkiewicz JJ, Stewart NA, Jakob T, Buckley H, Caffell A, Gowland R. Vitamin D status in post-medieval Northern England: Insights from dental histology and enamel peptide analysis at Coach Lane, North Shields (AD 1711-1857). PLoS One 2024; 19:e0296203. [PMID: 38295005 PMCID: PMC10830048 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0296203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The post-medieval period in Europe saw a dramatic increase in metabolic bone disease related to vitamin D deficiency (VDD). Recent paleopathological work has utilized interglobular dentin (IGD) as a proxy for poor vitamin D status during development, while enamel peptide analysis allows the identification of chromosomal sex in non-adult remains. Here we explore the relationship between sex, the presence of IGD, and macroscopic markers of VDD in an industrial era assemblage from Northeast England. MATERIALS AND METHODS 25 individuals (9 females, 9 males, 9 unknown sex) from the cemetery site at Coach Lane, North Shields (1711-1857) were selected for paleopathological analysis, histological assessment of IGD, and enamel peptide determination of chromosomal sex. RESULTS Ground tooth sections from 21 individuals were of suitable quality for detection of IGD, and enamel peptide analysis confirmed the chromosomal sex of ten individuals. Sixteen individuals (76.1%) exhibited ≥1 episode of IGD. Nine of these (42.8%) exhibited >1 episode and four (19%) exhibited ≥4 episodes in regular intervals. Male sex was significantly associated with the presence of IGD (p = 0.0351; 100% males vs. 54.5% females). Females were more likely to exhibit macroscopic evidence of VDD (45.5% females vs 30% males) but this was not statistically significant. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Periods of poor mineral metabolism during childhood appear much more prevalent at Coach Lane than macroscopic evidence suggests. Evidence of seasonal IGD episodes indicates that northern latitude played a major role in poor VD status in the Northeast of England. The significant association of IGD with male sex may be due to sex-related differences in dentinal mineralization or a higher risk of poor VD status in males aged <5 years. More work is needed to establish an evidence-based threshold for pathological levels of IGD before the presence of this feature can confidently be used as a biomarker for poor VD status.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Heidi Shaw
- Department of Archaeology, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
| | - Sophie Newman
- School of History, Classics and Archaeology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | | | - Nicolas A. Stewart
- School of Applied Sciences, University of Brighton, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Tina Jakob
- Department of Archaeology, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
| | - Hallie Buckley
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand
| | - Anwen Caffell
- Department of Archaeology, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca Gowland
- Department of Archaeology, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
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Mulder R, Potgieter N, Noordien N. Penetration of SDF and AgF from the infected dentine towards the unaffected tooth structure. FRONTIERS IN ORAL HEALTH 2023; 4:1298211. [PMID: 38152408 PMCID: PMC10752593 DOI: 10.3389/froh.2023.1298211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The use of SEM-EDS line scan analysis to evaluate the movement of ions from dental materials towards the tooth structure and the concept of ion movement is well established. This analysis technique was used to determine the ion movement of two commercially available silver- and fluoride-containing products. Methods This study aimed to compare the elemental analysis of primary molar teeth treated with silver diamine fluoride (SDF) and water-based silver fluoride (AgF) and to analyse the penetration of SDF and AgF from the infected dentine towards the healthy dentine. The teeth were cleaned from debris and contaminants off the roots and stored until use. A total of 15 primary molars with large active cavitated lesions, not extending into the pulp (specimens), were divided into three test groups: silver diamine fluoride (SDF) (n = 5), water-based silver fluoride (AgF) (n = 5), and deionised water (W) (n = 5) as the control group. The teeth were sectioned, embedded, and received SEM-EDS line scans. The line scan had a total length of 82.65 μm. The visible end of the infected dentine and the start of the more affected dentine were chosen as the starting point to ensure that the infected caries' line distribution towards the affected dentine's transition area was as standardized as possible. Therefore, the infected dentine length of the scan was 22.80 μm (8 scan points of 2.85 μm apart), and the affected dentine, including the healthy dentine, was 59.8 μm (21 scan points). The SEM-EDS line scan from each specimen determined the average fluoride, iodide, and silver weight percentage for that specimen. Results The 15 sample SEM-EDS line scans were used to determine the average ion movement in wt%. The Kruskall-Wallis test and Tukey's HSD test were completed at a p < 0.05. SDF and AgF presented no significant fluoride movement in terms of the weight percentage. There was, however, significantly more fluoride movement from infected caries to the healthy dentine with SDF and AgF (p = 0.0010053) compared to the control specimens treated with deionised water. There was no significant difference between SDF and AgF for the movement of the iodide (p = 0.5953) and silver (p = 0.3708) from infected caries to the healthy dentine. Conclusion SDF and AgF easily penetrated through infected caries and affected tooth structure to the healthy dentine for the line scan of 82.65 μm. There was no significant difference between SDF and AgF for the movement of ions within the infected dentine nor in the affected/healthy dentine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riaan Mulder
- Department of Restorative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa
| | - Nicoline Potgieter
- Department of Orthodontics & Paediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa
| | - Naeemah Noordien
- Department of Orthodontics & Paediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa
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Gurr A, Henneberg M, Kumaratilake J, Lerche D, Richards L, Brook AH. The Oral Health of a Group of 19th Century South Australian Settlers in Relation to Their General Health and Compared with That of Contemporaneous Samples. Dent J (Basel) 2023; 11:dj11040099. [PMID: 37185476 PMCID: PMC10136771 DOI: 10.3390/dj11040099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The aims of this study are to determine the oral health status of a rare sample of 19th-century migrant settlers to South Australia, how oral conditions may have influenced their general health, and how the oral health of this group compares with contemporaneous samples in Australia, New Zealand, and Britain. Dentitions of 18 adults and 22 subadults were investigated using non-destructive methods (micro-CT, macroscopic, radiographic). Extensive carious lesions were identified in seventeen adults and four subadults, and from this group one subadult and sixteen adults had antemortem tooth loss. Sixteen adults showed evidence of periodontal disease. Enamel hypoplastic (EH) defects were identified in fourteen adults and nine subadults. Many individuals with dental defects also had skeletal signs of comorbidities. South Australian individuals had the same percentage of carious lesions as the British sample (53%), more than other historic Australian samples, but less than a contemporary New Zealand sample. Over 50% of individuals from all the historic cemeteries had EH defects, suggesting systemic health insults during dental development were common during the 19th century. The overall oral health of the South Australian settlers was poor but, in some categories, (tooth wear, periapical abscess, periodontal disease), better than the other historic samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Gurr
- Discipline of Anatomy and Pathology, School of Biomedicine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
- Biological Anthropology and Comparative Anatomy Research Unit, School of Biomedicine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
| | - Maciej Henneberg
- Discipline of Anatomy and Pathology, School of Biomedicine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
- Biological Anthropology and Comparative Anatomy Research Unit, School of Biomedicine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jaliya Kumaratilake
- Discipline of Anatomy and Pathology, School of Biomedicine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
- Biological Anthropology and Comparative Anatomy Research Unit, School of Biomedicine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
| | - Derek Lerche
- School of Dentistry, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
| | - Lindsay Richards
- School of Dentistry, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
| | - Alan Henry Brook
- School of Dentistry, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
- Institute of Dentistry, Queen Mary, University of London, London WC1E 7HU, UK
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Lamer M, Veselka B, Schrader S, Hoogland M, Brickley MB. Precarious adolescence: Adolescent rickets and anterior sacral angulation in two Dutch skeletal collections from the 18th-19th centuries. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PALEOPATHOLOGY 2023; 40:63-69. [PMID: 36586233 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2022.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This project aims to provide an objective approach to suggesting cases of adolescent rickets using the presence of anterior sacral angulation and interglobular dentine. MATERIALS Sacra from 49 individuals from Hattem and 150 individuals from Middenbeemster, and second and third molars from five individuals from Hattem were analyzed. Both sites date to the 17th to 19th centuries. METHODS The sacra were visually assessed for sacral angulation and measured to quantify anterior sacral angulation. The sampled molars were thin sectioned to look for the presence of interglobular dentine. RESULTS Metric analysis determined that seven individuals had significantly anteriorly angled sacra. Three of the five individuals with sampled molars had interglobular dentine formed during adolescence. CONCLUSIONS Adolescent rickets may be associated with anterior sacral angulation. SIGNIFICANCE Anterior sacral angulation may help identify possible cases of adolescent rickets in archaeological human remains. LIMITATIONS The small sample size for the molars prevented the identification of more individuals with interglobular dentine present during adolescence. Several individuals with visibly angled sacra were unmeasurable due to post-mortem damage and lacked molars. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH Research on a larger sample would allow us to understand better the association between anterior sacral angulation and adolescent rickets.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Lamer
- Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Department of Anthropology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
| | - B Veselka
- Chemistry Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium; Archaeology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - S Schrader
- Faculty of Archaeology, Universiteit Leiden, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - M Hoogland
- Faculty of Archaeology, Universiteit Leiden, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - M B Brickley
- Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Health effects of European colonization: An investigation of skeletal remains from 19th to early 20th century migrant settlers in South Australia. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0265878. [PMID: 35385495 PMCID: PMC8985932 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The British colony of South Australia, established in 1836, offered a fresh start to migrants hoping for a better life. A cohort of settlers buried in a section of St Mary’s Anglican Church Cemetery (1847–1927) allocated for government funded burials was investigated to determine their health, with a focus on skeletal manifestations associated with metabolic deficiencies. Findings of St Mary’s sample were compared with those published for contemporary skeletal samples from two British cemeteries, St Martin’s, Birmingham, and St Peter’s, Wolverhampton, to explore similarities and differences. To investigate the changing economic background of the St Mary’s cohort, which may have influenced the location of their burial within the cemetery, the number and demographic profile of government funded burials and those in privately funded leased plots were compared. The study sample consisted of the skeletal remains of 65 individuals (20 adults, 45 subadults) from St Mary’s Cemetery ‘free ground’ section. The bones and teeth of individuals in this cohort showed evidence of pathological manifestations, including areas of abnormal porosity in bone cortices in 9 adults and 12 subadults and flaring of metaphyses (one subadult) and costochondral junctions of the ribs (one subadult). Porous lesions of orbital roof bones (Types 3 to 4) were seen on three subadults. Macroscopic examination of teeth identified enamel hypoplastic defects and micro-CT scans showed areas of interglobular dentine. Comparison of St Mary’s findings with the British samples revealed that prevalences of manifestations associated with vitamin C deficiency were higher at St Mary’s and manifestations associated with vitamin D deficiency were lower respectively. The location of burial pattern at St Mary’s Cemetery, from the mid-1840s to1860s, showed differences in the economic status of migrants. This pattern changed from the 1870s, which reflected improvements in the local economy and the economic recovery of the colony.
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Interglobular dentine attributed to vitamin D deficiency visible in cremated human teeth. Sci Rep 2021; 11:20958. [PMID: 34697324 PMCID: PMC8545959 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-00380-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Vitamin D deficiency has hugely impacted the health of past societies. Its identification in skeletal remains provides insights into the daily activities, cultural habits, and the disease load of past populations. However, up till now, this approach remained impossible in cremated bones, because temperatures reached during cremations destroyed all macroscopic evidence of vitamin D deficiency. This precluded the analyses of a large fraction of the archaeological record, as cremation was an important burial ritual from the Late Neolithic until the Early Medieval period in Europe. Here, the identification of interglobular dentine (IGD), a dental mineralisation defect attributed to vitamin D deficiency, in experimentally burnt teeth, demonstrates this deficiency to be observable in human teeth burned to temperatures as high as 900 °C. In most cases, it becomes even possible to assess the ages-of-occurrence as well as the severity of the IGD and possibly vitamin D deficiency intensity. This study represents a major step forward in the fields of biological anthropology, archaeology, and palaeopathology by opening up a variety of new possibilities for the study of health and activities related to sunlight exposure of numerous past populations that practiced cremation as their funerary ritual.
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Veselka B, Brickley MB, Waters-Rist AL. A joint medico-historical and paleopathological perspective on vitamin D deficiency prevalence in post-Medieval Netherlands. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PALEOPATHOLOGY 2021; 32:41-49. [PMID: 33276206 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2020.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2020] [Revised: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/31/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE By applying a joint medico-historical and paleopathological perspective, this paper aims to improve our understanding of factors influencing past vitamin D deficiency in ten Dutch 17th to 19th-century communities of varying socioeconomic status and settlement type. MATERIALS Vitamin D deficiency is evaluated in 733 individuals of both sexes and all age groups: Silvolde (n = 16), Rotterdam (n = 23), Rhenen (n = 24), Noordwijkerhout (n = 27), Gouda1and 2 (n = 40; n = 59), Roosendaal (n = 51), Den Haag (n = 93), Hattem (n = 113), and Beemster (n = 287). METHODS Rickets and residual rickets are macroscopically assessed using established criteria. Hypotheses formulated based on medico-historical texts are investigated via multivariate statistical analysis of vitamin D deficiency prevalence. RESULTS Vitamin D deficiency prevalence ranges from 13.7 % (7/51) in Roosendaal to 48.1 % (13/27) in Noordwijkerhout, with an onset of < 4 years, and higher rates in cities, conforming to medico-historical texts. Patterns of child labor are likely key. In contrast, socioeconomic status did not statistically significantly influence vitamin D deficiency prevalence rates. CONCLUSION Systematically collected paleopathological data enabled evaluation of medico-historical texts and provided insights into the role that socioeconomic status and settlement type played on the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency. SIGNIFICANCE Combining medico-historical texts and large-scale paleopathological data enables disease patterning to be embedded in a comprehensive biocultural perspective. LIMITATIONS Comparisons may be limited by the small sample size of high socioeconomic status nonadults and some of the collections. SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH Analysis of more individuals and sites would improve our understanding of disease patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Veselka
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Department of Art, Sciences, and Archaeology, Maritime Cultures Research Institute, Belgium; Leiden University, Faculty of Archaeology, Human Osteology Laboratory, the Netherlands.
| | - Megan B Brickley
- McMaster University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Anthropology, Canada
| | - Andrea L Waters-Rist
- Leiden University, Faculty of Archaeology, Human Osteology Laboratory, the Netherlands; The University of Western Ontario, Social Science Centre, Department of Anthropology, Canada
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Betsinger TK, DeWitte SN. Toward a bioarchaeology of urbanization: Demography, health, and behavior in cities in the past. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2021; 175 Suppl 72:79-118. [PMID: 33619721 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Urbanization is one of the most important settlement shifts in human history and has been the focus of research within bioarchaeology for decades. However, there have been limited attempts to synthesize the results of these studies in order to gain a broader perspective on whether or how urbanization affects the biology, demography, and behavior of humans, and how these potential effects are embodied in the human skeleton. This paper outlines how bioarchaeology is well-suited to examine urbanization in the past, and we provide an overview and examples of three main ways in which urbanization is studied in bioarchaeological research: comparison of (often contemporaneous) urban and rural sites, synchronic studies of the variation that exists within and between urban sites, and investigations of changes that occur within urban sites over time. Studies of urbanization, both within bioarchaeology and in other fields of study, face a number of limitations, including a lack of a consensus regarding what urban and urbanization mean, the assumed dichotomous nature of urban versus rural settlements, the supposition that urbanization is universally bad for people, and the assumption (at least in practice) of homogeneity within urban and rural populations. Bioarchaeologists can address these limitations by utilizing a wide array of data and methods, and the studies described here collectively demonstrate the complex, nuanced, and highly variable effects of urbanization.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sharon N DeWitte
- Department of Anthropology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
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Welsh H, Nelson AJ, van der Merwe AE, de Boer HH, Brickley MB. An Investigation of Micro-CT Analysis of Bone as a New Diagnostic Method for Paleopathological Cases of Osteomalacia. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PALEOPATHOLOGY 2020; 31:23-33. [PMID: 32927328 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2020.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2020] [Revised: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This paper looks to broaden the methodological possibilities for diagnosing osteomalacia in archaeological bone using micro-CT analysis. Increasing the identification of osteomalacia in paleopathology will provide support for important interpretive frameworks. MATERIALS Nine embedded and two unembedded rib fragments were sourced from St. Martin's Birmingham and Ancaster, UK, and Lisieux Michelet, France. Of the 11 samples, nine were previously confirmed as osteomalacic, and presented with varying levels of diagenesis and two were non-osteomalacic controls, one of which exhibits diagenetic change. METHODS Micro-CT, backscattered scanning electron microscopy, and light microscopy were employed. Micro-CT images were evaluated for osteomalacic features using corresponding microscopic images. RESULTS Micro-CT images from osteomalacic samples demonstrated the presence of defective mineralization adjacent to cement lines, areas of incomplete mineralization, and resorptive bays/borders, three key diagnostic features of osteomalacia. Diagenetic change was also detectable in micro-CT images, but did not prevent the diagnosis of osteomalacia. CONCLUSIONS Micro-CT analysis is a non-destructive method capable of providing microstructural images of osteomalacic features in embedded and unembedded samples. When enough of these features are present, micro-CT images are capable of confirming a diagnosis of osteomalacia. SIGNIFICANCE Vitamin D deficiency has important health consequences which operate throughout the life course. Increasing the ability to detect cases of vitamin D deficiency provides researchers with a greater understanding of health and disease in past communities. LIMITATIONS Only adult rib samples were used. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH Paleopathologists should look to test the utility of micro-CT analysis in diagnosing active rickets in subadult individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Welsh
- Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L9, Canada.
| | - A J Nelson
- Departments of Anthropology and Chemistry, Bone and Joint Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 5C3, Canada
| | - A E van der Merwe
- Department of Medical Biology, Section Clinical Anatomy and Embryology, Amsterdam University Medical Centres, Location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - H H de Boer
- Department of Pathology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, location AMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Forensic Medicine, Netherlands Forensic Institute, The Hague, The Netherlands
| | - M B Brickley
- Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L9, Canada
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Snoddy AME, Miszkiewicz JJ, Loch C, Tromp M, Buckley HR. An image analysis protocol for the quantification of interglobular dentine in anthropological tooth sections. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 174:144-148. [PMID: 32914865 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Revised: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
The histological identification of interglobular dentine (IGD) in archeological human remains with macroscopic evidence of rickets has opened a promising new avenue for the investigation of metabolic disease in the past. Recent paleopathological studies have shown that histological analysis of archeological human teeth may allow the identification of periods of vitamin D deficiency occurring within very narrow developmental windows, yielding new information on the seasonality or even maternal-fetal transmission of this disease. However, currently available techniques for recording IGD rely on subjective scoring systems or visual estimations, potentially leaving them open to inter and intra-observer error and rendering comparisons of datasets difficult. Here we describe a new imaging protocol that utilizes open access software and may yield more objective and quantitative data on the amount of IGD present within a dentinal region of interest. We demonstrate that grayscale histograms in FIJI®/ImageJ® might be used to provide less subjective estimates of the percentage of a region of interest affected by IGD. Application of this technique may enable more accurate comparison of datasets between researchers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Justyna J Miszkiewicz
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Australian National University, College of Arts and Sciences, Canberra, Australia
| | - Carolina Loch
- Sir John Walsh Research Institute, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Monica Tromp
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.,Southern Pacific Archaeological Research, Archaeology Programme, School of Social Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Hallie R Buckley
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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Brickley MB, Kahlon B, D'Ortenzio L. Using teeth as tools: Investigating the mother-infant dyad and developmental origins of health and disease hypothesis using vitamin D deficiency. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 171:342-353. [PMID: 31709512 PMCID: PMC7004071 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2019] [Revised: 09/20/2019] [Accepted: 10/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES With a growing interest in the mother-infant dyad and the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease hypothesis among biological and medical anthropologists, this study set out to provide all the information required to evaluate if mineralization defects in dentine might be caused by vitamin D deficiency in the critical first 1000 days of life. MATERIALS AND METHODS Information was compiled on dentine formation in utero to approximately 18 years, and a method for determining the location of the neonatal line in dentine was devised, allowing the assessment of the prenatal and early life period. Re-evaluation of previously analyzed teeth (n = 61) was undertaken with detailed examination of n = 5/22 first permanent molars forming in the prenatal and critical early life periods. RESULTS First permanent molars and all deciduous teeth give information on intrauterine development and on the first 1000 days postnatally providing a direct window on maternal and fetal health. Three archaeological individuals had interglobular dentine that formed prenatally suggesting that their mothers experienced vitamin D deficiency at the time dentine was forming and all other individuals had a deficiency during the first 1000 days of life. Conditions that could cause systemic mineralization defects were determined, and in each, case they were found to be consistent with vitamin D deficiency. DISCUSSION The neonatal line serves as a clear baseline for determining prenatal and postnatal events, particularly those related to vitamin D, calcium, and phosphate metabolism, and can be used to investigate the maternal-infant dyad for both past and present communities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bonnie Kahlon
- Department of AnthropologyMcMaster UniversityHamiltonOntarioCanada
| | - Lori D'Ortenzio
- Department of AnthropologyMcMaster UniversityHamiltonOntarioCanada
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12
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Veselka B, Brickley MB, D'Ortenzio L, Kahlon B, Hoogland MLP, Waters-Rist AL. Micro-CT assessment of dental mineralization defects indicative of vitamin D deficiency in two 17th-19th century Dutch communities. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2019; 169:122-131. [PMID: 30882907 PMCID: PMC6593783 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2018] [Revised: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study investigates vitamin D deficiency patterns in individuals from birth to the beginning of adolescence. Microscopic computed tomography (micro-CT) evaluation of interglobular dentine (IGD) in teeth provides information on the age of disease onset and the number of deficient periods per individual, which will increase our understanding of factors influencing vitamin D deficiency prevalence, including sociocultural practices and latitude. MATERIALS AND METHODS Beemster and Hattem, two Dutch 17th-19th century communities, yielded relatively high prevalences of rickets (15-24%) and residual rickets (15-24%). From the affected individuals, a subsample of 20 teeth were selected for micro-CT scanning. Thin sections were made of 17 teeth, consisting of 6 teeth with and 11 teeth without observable IGD on micro-CT that were included for method comparison. RESULTS About 19 out of 29 (65.5%) individuals (one tooth was deemed unobservable) presented with IGD on micro-CT. Eight of the 11 (72.7%) individuals without IGD on micro-CT demonstrated histologically visible IGD. In 40.7% (11/27) of the affected individuals (combined micro-CT and histology results), vitamin D deficiency was recurrent, and in four individuals, some episodes occurred at approximately annual intervals suggesting vitamin D deficiency was seasonal. In three individuals, IGD occurred in the dentine formed around birth, suggesting maternal vitamin D deficiency. DISCUSSION Micro-CT analysis of IGD is found to be a valuable non-destructive method that can improve our understanding of the influence of sociocultural practices and latitude on disease development within age and sex groups in past communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Veselka
- Faculty of Archaeology, Human Osteoarchaeology Laboratory, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Megan B Brickley
- Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lori D'Ortenzio
- Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Bonnie Kahlon
- Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Menno L P Hoogland
- Faculty of Archaeology, Human Osteoarchaeology Laboratory, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
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