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Pedergnana A, Seiler R, Huber R, Eppenberger P, Rühli F. Insights into medieval rural lives: A paleo-odontological investigation of two central European communities. Arch Oral Biol 2024; 164:105985. [PMID: 38703544 DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2024.105985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2024] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Oral status is an important indicator of past lifestyles. Determining the presence and extent of oral pathologies helps reconstruct average oral health, paramasticatory activities and diet of ancient and historical populations. DESIGN In this study, the dental remains from the early medieval cemetery of Früebergstrasse in Baar (Canton of Zug, Switzerland) and the high medieval Dalheim cemetery (North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany) were analyzed. Caries, periodontal condition, periapical lesions, antemortem tooth loss, and enamel hypoplasia were assessed in 654 teeth (993 observable loci) from 68 individuals (Baar: n = 36; Dalheim: n = 32). RESULTS The oral status of both populations was affected by age with higher values of tooth wear in advanced age individuals. High tooth wear values in both populations point towards the consumption of abrasive foods. Pronounced anterior tooth wear in Baar may also be due to non-masticatory tooth usage. Finally, possible nutritional deficiencies were hypothesized for the Baar population. A higher caries prevalence was observed in the Baar group, probably due to differences in carbohydrate intake. The oral conditions observed in the two studied populations exhibited several analogies, suggesting comparable lifestyles despite their separation in space and time. The only differences observed are related to the use of teeth as "tools" and are thus determined by behavioral choices rather than diverse socioeconomic factors. CONCLUSIONS Using multiple dental parameters to examine the oral health of premodern individuals can provide useful insights into the interactions between humans and their environment, from dietary patterns to paramasticatory activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonella Pedergnana
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine - University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse, 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; South Tyrol Archeological Museum, Bozen, Italy; Institute for Mummy Studies, Eurac Research, Bozen, Italy.
| | - Roger Seiler
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine - University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse, 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Renata Huber
- Amt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie, Canton Zug, Switzerland
| | - Patrick Eppenberger
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine - University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse, 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Frank Rühli
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine - University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse, 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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Massé L, d’Incau E, Souron A, Vanderesse N, Santos F, Maureille B, Le Cabec A. Unraveling the Life History of Past Populations through Hypercementosis: Insights into Cementum Apposition Patterns and Possible Etiologies Using Micro-CT and Confocal Microscopy. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:43. [PMID: 38248474 PMCID: PMC10813066 DOI: 10.3390/biology13010043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
The "teeth-as-tools" hypothesis posits that Neanderthals used their anterior teeth as a tool or a third hand for non-dietary purposes. These non- or para-masticatory activities (e.g., tool-making or food preparation prior to ingestion) have also been described in other past and extant human populations, and other Primates. Cementum is the mineralized tissue that covers the tooth root surface and anchors it to the alveolar bone. Under certain conditions (e.g., mechanical stress, infection), its production becomes excessive (i.e., beyond the physiological state) and is called 'hypercementosis'. Several studies in dental anthropology have established a correlation between the teeth-as-tools and hypercementosis. The present work aims to characterize the different patterns of cementum apposition on archeological teeth and discuss their supposed etiology. Using microtomography and confocal microscopy, the patterns of cementum apposition (i.e., thickness, location, and surface characteristics) were analyzed in 35 hypercementotic teeth (Sains-en-Gohelle, France; 7th-17th c. A.D.). Four groups were identified with distinct hypercementosis patterns: (1) impacted, (2) infected, (3) hypofunctional, and (4) hyperfunctional teeth. Characterizing hypercementosis can contribute to documenting the oral health status (paleopathology) and/or masticatory activity of individuals, even from isolated teeth. This has implications for the study of fossil hominins, particularly Neanderthals, known for their use of anterior teeth as tools and frequent and substantial occurrence of hypercementosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Léa Massé
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Ministère de la Culture, PACEA, UMR 5199, F-33600 Pessac, France; (A.S.); (N.V.); (F.S.); (B.M.); (A.L.C.)
- UFR des Sciences Odontologiques de Bordeaux, Univ. Bordeaux, F-33076 Bordeaux, France;
- University Hospital, F-33076 Bordeaux, France
| | - Emmanuel d’Incau
- UFR des Sciences Odontologiques de Bordeaux, Univ. Bordeaux, F-33076 Bordeaux, France;
- University Hospital, F-33076 Bordeaux, France
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, SANPSY, UMR 6033, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Antoine Souron
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Ministère de la Culture, PACEA, UMR 5199, F-33600 Pessac, France; (A.S.); (N.V.); (F.S.); (B.M.); (A.L.C.)
| | - Nicolas Vanderesse
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Ministère de la Culture, PACEA, UMR 5199, F-33600 Pessac, France; (A.S.); (N.V.); (F.S.); (B.M.); (A.L.C.)
| | - Frédéric Santos
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Ministère de la Culture, PACEA, UMR 5199, F-33600 Pessac, France; (A.S.); (N.V.); (F.S.); (B.M.); (A.L.C.)
| | - Bruno Maureille
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Ministère de la Culture, PACEA, UMR 5199, F-33600 Pessac, France; (A.S.); (N.V.); (F.S.); (B.M.); (A.L.C.)
| | - Adeline Le Cabec
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Ministère de la Culture, PACEA, UMR 5199, F-33600 Pessac, France; (A.S.); (N.V.); (F.S.); (B.M.); (A.L.C.)
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Walsh S. Early evidence of extra-masticatory dental wear in a Neolithic community at Bestansur, Iraqi Kurdistan. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OSTEOARCHAEOLOGY 2022; 32:1264-1274. [PMID: 37066120 PMCID: PMC10087735 DOI: 10.1002/oa.3162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
This paper presents the first evidence of extra-masticatory dental wear from Neolithic Bestansur, Iraqi Kurdistan (7700-7200 BC). Bestansur is a rare, recently excavated burial site of this period in the Zagros region, of Iraqi Kurdistan. A total of 585 teeth from 38 individuals were analyzed for features indicative of activities including oblique wear planes, notches, grooves, and chipping. Indications of extra-masticatory wear were found in 27 of 38 individuals, and 277 of 585 teeth (47%) available for study. The most frequent features were chipping and notches suggesting activities such as processing fibers by using the teeth as a "third hand." Evidence for these wear features was present in both males, females, and in children aged five and older. These aspects of childhood life-course and dentition are rarely investigated. The presence of dental wear features in the deciduous dentition can indicate an age range at which activities began in different groups and highlights the importance of including juvenile remains in such studies. The variety of forms of dental wear may relate to the mixed diet and activities of these people. This study adds to our understanding of human behaviors and socio-cultural aspects of life during this transitional period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sam Walsh
- School of Natural SciencesUniversity of Central LancashirePrestonUK
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Monaco M, Riccomi G, Minozzi S, Campana S, Giuffra V. Exploring activity-induced dental modifications in medieval Pieve di Pava (central Italy, 10th-12th centuries AD). Arch Oral Biol 2022; 140:105449. [DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2022.105449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Evidence of habitual behavior from non-alimentary dental wear on deciduous teeth from the Middle and Upper Paleolithic Cantabrian region, Northern Spain. J Hum Evol 2021; 158:103047. [PMID: 34403991 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.103047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Revised: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The use of 'teeth as tools' (non-masticatory or cultural-related dental wear) has largely been employed as a proxy for studying of past human behavior, mainly in permanent dentition from adult individuals. Here we present the analysis of the non-masticatory dental wear modifications on the deciduous dentition assigned to eight Neanderthal and anatomically modern human subadult individuals from Mousterian to Magdalenian technocultural contexts in the Cantabrian region (Northern Spain). Although preliminary, we tentatively suggest that these eight subadults present activity-related dental wear, including cultural striations, chipped enamel, toothpick grooves, and subvertical grooves. We also found evidence of habitual dental hygienic practices in the form of toothpicking on a deciduous premolar. Orientation of the cultural striations indicates similar handedness development as in modern children. Taken together, these dental wear patterns support the participation of young individuals in group activities, making them potential contributors to group welfare. This study potentially adds new evidence to the importance of the use of the mouth in paramasticatory activities or as a third hand throughout the Pleistocene, which can be confirmed with a more specific reference sample.
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Multipronged dental analyses reveal dietary differences in last foragers and first farmers at Grotta Continenza, central Italy (15,500-7000 BP). Sci Rep 2021; 11:4261. [PMID: 33608594 PMCID: PMC7895915 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-82401-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
This paper provides results from a suite of analyses made on human dental material from the Late Palaeolithic to Neolithic strata of the cave site of Grotta Continenza situated in the Fucino Basin of the Abruzzo region of central Italy. The available human remains from this site provide a unique possibility to study ways in which forager versus farmer lifeways affected human odonto-skeletal remains. The main aim of our study is to understand palaeodietary patterns and their changes over time as reflected in teeth. These analyses involve a review of metrics and oral pathologies, micro-fossils preserved in the mineralized dental plaque, macrowear, and buccal microwear. Our results suggest that these complementary approaches support the assumption about a critical change in dental conditions and status with the introduction of Neolithic foodstuff and habits. However, we warn that different methodologies applied here provide data at different scales of resolution for detecting such changes and a multipronged approach to the study of dental collections is needed for a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of diachronic changes.
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RODRIGUES ANACRISTINA, SILVA ANAMARIA, MATIAS ANTÓNIO, SANTOS ANALUÍSA. Atypical dental wear patterns in individuals exhumed from a medieval Islamic necropolis of Santarém (Portugal). ANTHROPOL SCI 2021. [DOI: 10.1537/ase.201111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - ANTÓNIO MATIAS
- Archaeological Department, Cultural Heritage Service of the City Council of Santarém
| | - ANA LUÍSA SANTOS
- University of Coimbra, Research Centre for Anthropology and Health, Department of Life Sciences, Coimbra
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Willman JC, Hernando R, Matu M, Crevecoeur I. Biocultural diversity in Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene Africa: Olduvai Hominid 1 (Tanzania) biological affinity and intentional body modification. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 172:664-681. [PMID: 31944279 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2019] [Revised: 12/24/2019] [Accepted: 01/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The dentition of Olduvai Hominid 1 (OH1) exhibits an anomalous pattern of dental wear that was originally attributed to either intentional cultural modification (filing) or plant processing behaviors. A differential diagnosis of the wear and assessment of the biological affinity of OH1 is presented. MATERIALS AND METHODS Macroscopic and microscopic observations of all labial and buccal tooth surfaces were undertaken to assess wear patterns. A multivariate analysis of mandibular morphology of OH1 compared to other Late Pleistocene, Holocene, and recent modern humans was used to ascertain biological affinity. RESULTS The morphological variation of the OH1 mandible is closely aligned with variation in penecontemporaneous fossils from Africa and outside that of recent humans. The concave wear facets exposing dentin on the labial surfaces of all three preserved mandibular incisors is confirmed. Substantial loss of labial/buccal surfaces was documented on the surfaces of all in situ maxillary and mandibular canines, premolars, and molars ranging from distinct facets with well-defined edges, to blunting or "polishing" around areas of maximum buccal curvature. The wear on both the anterior and postcanine teeth closely resemble that caused by adornments ("labrets") worn in lower-lip and buccal facial piercings known from bioarchaeological and ethnographic contexts. The wear pattern suggests that the OH1 wore three facial piercings-two buccal/lateral and a medial one in the lower lip. DISCUSSION Our findings suggest that the expression of social identities through intentional body modification is more diverse than previously documented elsewhere in Africa during the Late Pleistocene (i.e., ablation) and Early Holocene (i.e., ablation, chipping, and filing).
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Affiliation(s)
- John C Willman
- Laboratory of Prehistory, CIAS - Research Centre for Anthropology and Health, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, 3000-456, Coimbra, Portugal.,IPHES, Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social , 43007 Tarragona, Spain.,Àrea de Prehistòria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), 43002 Tarragona, Spain
| | - Raquel Hernando
- IPHES, Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social , 43007 Tarragona, Spain.,Àrea de Prehistòria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), 43002 Tarragona, Spain
| | - Marie Matu
- Unité Mixte de Recherche 5199, PACEA, De la Préhistoire à l'Actuel: Culture, Environnement, et Anthropologie, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Isabelle Crevecoeur
- Unité Mixte de Recherche 5199, PACEA, De la Préhistoire à l'Actuel: Culture, Environnement, et Anthropologie, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
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Pezo-Lanfranco L. Evidence of variability in carbohydrate consumption in prehistoric fisher-hunter-gatherers of Southeastern Brazil: Spatiotemporal trends of oral health markers. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 167:507-523. [PMID: 30159869 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2018] [Revised: 06/16/2018] [Accepted: 06/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES In this study, we evaluate the role of plants in the diet of fisher-hunter gatherers adapted to highly productive coastal environments. Oral health markers were used to track spatiotemporal variations (regional and diachronic) in the composition of carbohydrate in the diets of prehistoric shell mound builders (sambaqui) from the Southeast of Brazil. Our main objective is to test the supposed stability in the dietary habits of sambaqui populations and identify modulating effects of chronological, cultural, and/or ecological factors. METHODS Eighteen oral health markers (divided into three categories: caries, periodontal disease, and dental wear) were applied in 233 individuals from 7 sambaquis (dated between 4800 and 1100 BP) from 5 geographic regions. RESULTS Our results reveal variable oral health patterns among sites. Despite that, we found a number of common features, such as dental wear and associated pulp lesions. Some oral health patterns are compatible with cariogenic diets and high carbohydrate consumption. CONCLUSIONS Our analyses suggest that plant resource management is plausible at some sites and support the emerging evidence that plant consumption among sambaqui populations was driven more by ecologic factors than chronological or cultural ones. A comprehensive record of oral health markers shows promise as a methodology to differentiate between otherwise extremely similar diets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Pezo-Lanfranco
- Laboratório de Antropologia Biológica, Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências - Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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Sperduti A, Giuliani MR, Guida G, Petrone PP, Rossi PF, Vaccaro S, Frayer DW, Bondioli L. Tooth grooves, occlusal striations, dental calculus, and evidence for fiber processing in an Italian eneolithic/bronze age cemetery. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 167:234-243. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2018] [Revised: 05/08/2018] [Accepted: 05/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Giuseppe Guida
- Istituto Superiore per la Conservazione ed il Restauro; Rome 00153 Italy
| | - Pier Paolo Petrone
- Laboratorio di Osteobiologia Umana e Antropologia Forense; Università Federico II; Naples 80131 Italy
| | | | - Serena Vaccaro
- Servizio di Bioarcheologia; Museo delle Civiltà; Rome 00144 Italy
| | - David W. Frayer
- Department of Anthropology; University of Kansas; Lawrence Kansas 66044
| | - Luca Bondioli
- Servizio di Bioarcheologia; Museo delle Civiltà; Rome 00144 Italy
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Estalrrich A, El Zaatari S, Rosas A. Dietary reconstruction of the El Sidrón Neandertal familial group (Spain) in the context of other Neandertal and modern hunter-gatherer groups. A molar microwear texture analysis. J Hum Evol 2017; 104:13-22. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2016.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2016] [Revised: 12/19/2016] [Accepted: 12/20/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Masotti S, Bogdanic N, Arnaud J, Cervellati F, Gualdi-Russo E. Tooth wear pattern analysis in a sample of Italian Early Bronze Age population. Proposal of a 3-D sampling sequence. Arch Oral Biol 2016; 74:37-45. [PMID: 27871014 DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2016.10.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2016] [Revised: 10/06/2016] [Accepted: 10/16/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence, distribution and intensity of tooth wear in a sample of an ancient Italian population in order to explain the pattern in terms of dietary habits and/or non-dietary tooth-use behaviors during the Early Bronze Age, with a focus on possible age-group and sex differences. DESIGN Well-preserved permanent teeth of individuals from the Bronze Age site of Ballabio (Lecco) in northern Italy were examined for tooth wear by different methods. Eight 3D models of teeth at increasing severity of wear were created. RESULTS In total, 357 permanent teeth belonging to male and female individuals were included in the study. Dental wear was present in 96.6% of the total sample. Males showed significantly greater levels of wear than females in the mandibular teeth. Both sexes exhibited a significantly different wear direction between the anterior (oblique and flat) and posterior (oblique and concave) teeth. Significant age differences were observed in the direction and level of wear in the incisors, canines and premolars, with higher wear in the older group. Complete and rotatable virtual 3D images of different wear patterns are proposed. CONCLUSIONS The findings of the present study confirm the data from archaeological studies on this site and on northern Italian habits during the Early Bronze Age suggesting a diet rich in vegetables. The observed wear patterns can be related both to the diet of this Bronze age population, based on hard and abrasive food requiring vigorous mastication, and to sex differences in cultural practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Masotti
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Surgical Specialties, University of Ferrara, Corso Ercole I D'Este, 32, Ferrara 44121, Italy.
| | - Nika Bogdanic
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Surgical Specialties, University of Ferrara, Corso Ercole I D'Este, 32, Ferrara 44121, Italy
| | - Julie Arnaud
- Department of Human Sciences, University of Ferrara, Corso Ercole I D'Este, 32, Ferrara 44121, Italy
| | - Franco Cervellati
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, via Luigi Borsari, 46, Ferrara 44121, Italy
| | - Emanuela Gualdi-Russo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Surgical Specialties, University of Ferrara, Corso Ercole I D'Este, 32, Ferrara 44121, Italy
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Roksandic M, Alarie K, Rodríguez Suárez R, Huebner E, Roksandic I. Not of African Descent: Dental Modification among Indigenous Caribbean People from Canímar Abajo, Cuba. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0153536. [PMID: 27071012 PMCID: PMC4829177 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0153536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2016] [Accepted: 03/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Dental modifications in the Caribbean are considered to be an African practice introduced to the Caribbean archipelago by the influx of enslaved Africans during colonial times. Skeletal remains which exhibited dental modifications are by default considered to be Africans, African descendants, or post-contact indigenous people influenced by an African practice. Individual E-105 from the site of Canímar Abajo (Cuba), with a direct 14C AMS date of 990–800 cal BC, provides the first unequivocal evidence of dental modifications in the Antilles prior to contact with Europeans in AD 1492. Central incisors showing evidence of significant crown reduction (loss of crown volume regardless of its etiology) were examined macroscopically and with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to determine if the observed alterations were due to deliberate modification or other (unintentional) factors considered: postmortem breakage, violent accidental breakage, non-dietary use of teeth, and wear caused by habitual or repeated actions. The pattern of crown reduction is consistent with deliberate dental modification of the type commonly encountered among African and African descendent communities in post-contact Caribbean archaeological assemblages. Six additional individuals show similar pattern of crown reduction of maxillary incisors with no analogous wear in corresponding mandibular dentition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirjana Roksandic
- Department of Anthropology, University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3B 2E9, Canada
- Department of Anthropology, University of Manitoba, 66 Chancellors Circle, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2, Canada
- * E-mail:
| | - Kaitlynn Alarie
- Department of Anthropology, University of Manitoba, 66 Chancellors Circle, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Roberto Rodríguez Suárez
- Museo Antropológico Montane, Universidad de la Habana, Calle 25 No. 455 Vedado, Havana, 10400, Cuba
| | - Erwin Huebner
- Department of Biology, University of Manitoba, 66 Chancellors Circle, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Ivan Roksandic
- Department of Anthropology, University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3B 2E9, Canada
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Margvelashvili A, Zollikofer CPE, Lordkipanidze D, Tafforeau P, Ponce de León MS. Comparative analysis of dentognathic pathologies in the Dmanisi mandibles. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2016; 160:229-53. [PMID: 26919277 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2015] [Revised: 01/20/2016] [Accepted: 02/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Due to the scarcity of the fossil record, in vivo changes in the dentognathic system of early Homo are typically documented at the level of individual fossil specimens, and it remains difficult to draw population-level inferences about dietary habits, diet-related activities and lifestyle from individual patterns of dentognathic alterations. The Plio-Pleistocene hominin sample from Dmanisi (Georgia), dated to 1.77 million years ago, offers a unique opportunity to study in vivo changes in the dentognathic system of individuals belonging to a single paleodeme of early Homo. MATERIALS AND METHODS We analyze dentognathic pathologies in the Dmanisi sample, and in comparative samples of modern Australian and Greenlander hunter-gatherer populations, applying clinical protocols of dentognathic diagnostics. RESULTS The Dmanisi hominins exhibit a similarly wide diversity and similar incidence of dentognathic pathologies as the modern human hunter-gatherer population samples investigated here. Dmanisi differs from the modern population samples in several respects: At young age tooth wear is already advanced, and pathologies are more prevalent. At old age, hypercementosis is substantial. CONCLUSIONS Results indicate that dentognathic pathologies and disease trajectories are largely similar in early Homo and modern humans, but that the disease load was higher in early Homo, probably as an effect of higher overall stress on the dentognathic system. Am J Phys Anthropol 160:229-253, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann Margvelashvili
- Anthropological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich, CH-8057, Switzerland.,Georgian National Museum, Purtseladze 3, Tbilisi, 0105, Georgia
| | - Christoph P E Zollikofer
- Anthropological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich, CH-8057, Switzerland
| | | | - Paul Tafforeau
- European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, 71 avenue des martyrs, 38043, Grenoble, France
| | - Marcia S Ponce de León
- Anthropological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich, CH-8057, Switzerland
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15
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Dental health and diet in early medieval Ireland. Arch Oral Biol 2015; 60:1299-309. [DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2015.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2015] [Revised: 05/28/2015] [Accepted: 06/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Estalrrich A, Rosas A. Division of labor by sex and age in Neandertals: an approach through the study of activity-related dental wear. J Hum Evol 2015; 80:51-63. [PMID: 25681013 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2014.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2013] [Revised: 06/29/2014] [Accepted: 07/08/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
The analysis of activity-related dental wear patterns in prehistoric anatomically modern humans and modern hunter-gatherers has shown sex differences attributable to a gendered division of labor. Neandertals are known to have extensive anterior dental wear related to the use of their front teeth as a tool. In this study we analyze the i) cultural striations (scratches on the labial surface of the anterior teeth with a cut-mark morphology), and ii) dental chipping (ante-mortem microfracture involving enamel or both enamel and dentine) in 19 Neandertal individuals from the l'Hortus (France), Spy (Belgium), and El Sidrón (Spain) sites, and compare the characteristics of those traits with the age and sex estimation for the individuals and among samples. The study reveals that all individuals have cultural striations, but those detected on the adult females are longer than the striations found in adult males. Regarding the distribution of dental chipping, the prevalence of this trait is higher in the maxillary dentition of males whereas females have the majority of dental chipping on their mandibular teeth. The differences detected on the overall activity-related dental wear pattern denote a difference or a division of labor by age and sex in Neandertals while using the mouth as a third hand, i.e., in activities other than the provisioning of food, and provide new evidence for the lifestyle of this Pleistocene fossil human species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Almudena Estalrrich
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), C/ José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Antonio Rosas
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), C/ José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
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Koçani F, Kamberi B, Dranqolli J, Luci K, Peja F, Dragusha E, Disha M. Occlusal tooth wear in human sculls of antique period from Vendenis and Municipium Dardanorum DD, Kosovo. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012. [DOI: 10.4236/ojst.2012.21001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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