Tooth wear with an erosive component in a Mediaeval Iceland population

Assessing tooth wear progression in non-human primates: a longitudinal study using intraoral scanning technology

Intraoral scanners are widely used in a clinical setting for orthodontic treatments and tooth restorations, and are also useful for assessing dental wear and pathology progression. In this study, we assess the utility of using an intraoral scanner and associated software for quantifying dental tissue loss in non-human primates. An upper and lower second molar for 31 captive hamadryas baboons (Papio hamadryas) were assessed for dental tissue loss progression, giving a total sample of 62 teeth. The animals are part of the Southwest National Primate Research Center and were all fed the same monkey-chow diet over their lifetimes. Two molds of each dentition were taken at either two- or three-year intervals, and the associated casts scanned using an intraoral scanner (Medit i700). Tissue loss was calculated in WearCompare by superimposition of the two scans followed by subtraction analysis. Four individuals had dental caries, and were assessed separately. The results demonstrate the reliability of these techniques in capturing tissue loss data, evidenced by the alignment consistency between scans, lack of erroneous tissue gain between scans, and uniformity of tissue loss patterns among individuals (e.g., functional cusps showing the highest degree of wear). The average loss per mm2 per year for all samples combined was 0.05 mm3 (0.04 mm3 for females and 0.08 mm3 for males). There was no significant difference in wear progression between upper and lower molars. Substantial variation in the amount of tissue loss among individuals was found, despite their uniform diet. These findings foster multiple avenues for future research, including the exploration of wear progression across dental crowns and arcades, correlation between different types of tissue loss (e.g., attrition, erosion, fractures, caries), interplay between tissue loss and microwear/topographic analysis, and the genetic underpinnings of tissue loss variation.

Tooth Wear: Best Evidence Consensus Statement

PURPOSE

The purpose of this Best Evidence Consensus Statement was to evaluate the impact of wear on teeth.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A search updated last on the 07th October 2020 using the terms tooth wear, dental erosion, dental abrasion or dental attrition yielded 11,694 results. Limiting the search to clinical trials, cross-sectional investigations, randomized controlled trials, reviews, systematic reviews and meta-analysis yielded 1,769 results. Mechanistic in vitro studies were also added to the list of abstracts supplying additional information of the impact of wear on teeth. All abstracts were reviewed by two authors. Those relating to the focus question formed the evidence base which was used to formulate the response.

RESULTS

From the search results, 212 articles were related to the research question and 60 were included in this paper. Although tooth wear prevalence is over 30% of the population in early adulthood and increases as individual's age, the impact on the dentition is poorly investigated in longitudinal clinical studies. Wear on teeth can result in alterations in shape and potentially dentine hypersensitivity depending on the etiology. However, the process is slow and pulpal death is rare. The impact that tooth wear has on the patient depends on patient characteristics to a greater extent than the severity of wear.

CONCLUSIONS

Tooth wear is a common condition and part of the ageing process. Erosive tooth wear is a term which acknowledges that acids are normally linked to progression, but mechanical actions of attrition and abrasion will cause visible damage. The changes to the shape of teeth on the macro and micro levels are used to investigate the progression, prevention, etiology, and management. The biological impact of wear on teeth is relatively innocuous and management is often a patient driven process. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Quantitative metaproteomics of medieval dental calculus reveals individual oral health status

The composition of ancient oral microbiomes has recently become accessible owing to advanced biomolecular methods such as metagenomics and metaproteomics, but the utility of metaproteomics for such analyses is less explored. Here, we use quantitative metaproteomics to characterize the dental calculus associated with the remains of 21 humans retrieved during the archeological excavation of the medieval (ca. 1100-1450 CE) cemetery of Tjærby, Denmark. We identify 3671 protein groups, covering 220 bacterial species and 81 genera across all medieval samples. The metaproteome profiles of bacterial and human proteins suggest two distinct groups of archeological remains corresponding to health-predisposed and oral disease-susceptible individuals, which is supported by comparison to the calculus metaproteomes of healthy living individuals. Notably, the groupings identified by metaproteomics are not apparent from the bioarchaeological analysis, illustrating that quantitative metaproteomics has the potential to provide additional levels of molecular information about the oral health status of individuals from archeological contexts.

Erosive and Mechanical Tooth Wear in Viking Age Icelanders

(1) Background: The importance of the Icelandic Sagas as a source of information about diet habits in medieval Iceland, and possibly other Nordic countries, is obvious. Extensive tooth wear in archaeological material worldwide has revealed that the main cause of this wear is believed to have been a coarse diet. Near the volcano Hekla, 66 skeletons dated from before 1104 were excavated, and 49 skulls could be evaluated for tooth wear. The purpose of this study was to determine the main causes of tooth wear in light of diet and beverage consumption described in the Sagas; (2) Materials and methods: Two methods were used to evaluate tooth wear and seven for age estimation; (3) Results: Extensive tooth wear was seen in all of the groups, increasing with age. The first molars had the highest score, with no difference between sexes. These had all the similarities seen in wear from a coarse diet, but also presented with characteristics that are seen in erosion in modern Icelanders, through consuming excessive amounts of soft drinks. According to the Sagas, acidic whey was a daily drink and was used for the preservation of food in Iceland, until fairly recently; (4) Conclusions: It is postulated that the consumption of acidic drinks and food, in addition to a coarse and rough diet, played a significant role in the dental wear seen in ancient Icelanders.

Restorative Rehabilitation of a Patient with Dental Erosion

Dental erosion is the chemical dissolution of the tooth structure. Factors like eating disorders and gastrointestinal diseases are recognized as intrinsic factors for dental erosion. Advanced stages of dental erosion extensively damage the tooth morphology, consequently affecting both esthetics and functions. Reports indicate the growing prevalence of erosion, and hence knowledge of restorative rehabilitation of tooth erosion is an integral part of the contemporary dental practice. This clinical report describes an adult patient with gastroesophageal reflux induced dental erosion involving the palatal surface of the maxillary anterior teeth. The extensive involvement of the palatal surfaces compromised the esthetics, incisal guidance, and functional occlusal efficiency. Indirect all-ceramic restorations were utilized to restore the esthetics and occlusal reconstruction. In conclusion, patients affected by severe dental erosion require prosthetic rehabilitation besides the management of the associated medical condition.

The prevalence and risk indicators of tooth wear in 12- and 15-year-old adolescents in Central China

BACKGROUND

Tooth wear has been investigated in numerous countries, and the prevalence has varied. However, the data on tooth wear in China are scarce. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of tooth wear and to investigate the relative indicators associated with tooth wear in 12- and 15-year-old adolescents in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, Central China.

METHODS

A cross-sectional descriptive study was undertaken among 720 adolescents in Hubei Province, Central China. The age groups in this study were 12- and 15-year-old, and each group consisted of 360 participants in which females and males represented 50 % each. A modified version of the Basic Erosive Wear Examination (BEWE) tooth wear index was used for the buccal, cervical, occlusal/incisal and lingual surfaces of all of the teeth in the 720 adolescents. All of the participants were asked to answer a questionnaire consisting of questions about their current and historical dietary habits and oral hygiene.

RESULTS

The prevalence of tooth wear was 18.6 and 89.4 % in 12- and 15-year-old adolescents, respectively. The prevalence rates of dentin exposure were 1.9 and 5.6 %, respectively. A significantly higher prevalence of tooth wear and dentin exposure in 15-year-old adolescents was found than in 12-year-old adolescents (p < 0.001 and p = 0.011). Several factors such as drinking soft drinks and fruit juices immediately after sports, taking aspirin, reflux, unilateral chewing, tooth brushing once daily or less often, duration of brushing less than 2 min and swimming in the summer were found to be associated with tooth wear.

CONCLUSIONS

Tooth wear in 12- and 15-year-old adolescents in Central China is a significant problem and should receive greater attention. The prevalence of tooth wear increases with age and associated with socio-behavioral risk factors.

Enamel erosion and mechanical tooth wear in medieval Icelanders

OBJECTIVES

The Icelandic Sagas are an important source of information on the way of life and diet habits in Iceland and possibly other Nordic countries 1000 years ago. Archaeological human skull material worldwide has revealed extensive tooth wear, with the main cause believed to be coarse diet. From a graveyard near volcano Hekla, 66 skeletons dated from before 1104 were excavated. The purpose of this study was to determine the main causes of tooth wear in Icelanders 1000 years ago.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Forty-nine skulls were available for research. Two methods were used to evaluate tooth wear and seven for age estimation. An attempt was made to determine the main causes of tooth wear in the light of likely diet and beverage consumption according to a computer search on food and drink customs described in the Icelandic Sagas.

RESULTS

Tooth wear was extensive in all groups, increasing with age. The highest score was on first molars, with no difference between sexes. It had all the similarities seen in wear from coarse diet. In some instances it had similar characteristics to those seen in erosion in modern Icelanders consuming excessive amounts of soft drinks. According to the Sagas, acidic whey was a daily drink and used for preservation of food in Iceland until recently.

CONCLUSIONS

Since acidic whey has considerably high dental erosive potential, it is postulated that consumption of acidic drinks and food, in addition to a coarse and rough diet, played a significant role in the dental wear of ancient Icelanders.

Direct evidence of milk consumption from ancient human dental calculus

Milk is a major food of global economic importance, and its consumption is regarded as a classic example of gene-culture evolution. Humans have exploited animal milk as a food resource for at least 8500 years, but the origins, spread, and scale of dairying remain poorly understood. Indirect lines of evidence, such as lipid isotopic ratios of pottery residues, faunal mortality profiles, and lactase persistence allele frequencies, provide a partial picture of this process; however, in order to understand how, where, and when humans consumed milk products, it is necessary to link evidence of consumption directly to individuals and their dairy livestock. Here we report the first direct evidence of milk consumption, the whey protein β-lactoglobulin (BLG), preserved in human dental calculus from the Bronze Age (ca. 3000 BCE) to the present day. Using protein tandem mass spectrometry, we demonstrate that BLG is a species-specific biomarker of dairy consumption, and we identify individuals consuming cattle, sheep, and goat milk products in the archaeological record. We then apply this method to human dental calculus from Greenland's medieval Norse colonies, and report a decline of this biomarker leading up to the abandonment of the Norse Greenland colonies in the 15^th century CE.