A Healthier Smile in the Past? Dental Caries and Diet in Early Neolithic Farming Communities from Central Germany
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 (<i>n</i> = 101) from three Early Neolithic sites (c. 5500-4800 BCE) in central Germany. Dental caries and...
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MDPI AG
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Nutrients |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/9/1831 |
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| author | Nicole Nicklisch Vicky M. Oelze Oliver Schierz Harald Meller Kurt W. Alt |
| author_facet | Nicole Nicklisch Vicky M. Oelze Oliver Schierz Harald Meller Kurt W. Alt |
| author_sort | Nicole Nicklisch |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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 (<i>n</i> = 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 with the prevalence of carious lesions. The combined evidence from caries and isotope analysis suggests a prevalence of starchy foods such as cereals in the diet of these early farmers, which aligns well with observations from other Early Neolithic sites but contrasts to Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age populations in Germany. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:49:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-488d1263378c4e1d8eb6c4badf0a0280 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6643 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:49:38Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nutrients |
| spelling | doaj.art-488d1263378c4e1d8eb6c4badf0a02802023-11-23T08:59:01ZengMDPI AGNutrients2072-66432022-04-01149183110.3390/nu14091831A Healthier Smile in the Past? Dental Caries and Diet in Early Neolithic Farming Communities from Central GermanyNicole Nicklisch0Vicky M. Oelze1Oliver Schierz2Harald Meller3Kurt W. Alt4Center for Natural and Cultural History of Man, Faculty of Medicine/Dentistry, Danube Private University, Förthofstraße 2, 3500 Krems, AustriaAnthropology Department, University of California at Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 96064, USADepartment of Prosthodontics and Materials Science, University of Leipzig, Liebig Str. 12, 04103 Leipzig, GermanyState Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt and State Museum of Prehistory, Richard-Wagner Str. 9, 06114 Halle, GermanyCenter for Natural and Cultural History of Man, Faculty of Medicine/Dentistry, Danube Private University, Förthofstraße 2, 3500 Krems, AustriaDental 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 (<i>n</i> = 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 with the prevalence of carious lesions. The combined evidence from caries and isotope analysis suggests a prevalence of starchy foods such as cereals in the diet of these early farmers, which aligns well with observations from other Early Neolithic sites but contrasts to Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age populations in Germany.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/9/1831cariesnutritionoral healthstable isotope analysisbioarcheology |
| spellingShingle | Nicole Nicklisch Vicky M. Oelze Oliver Schierz Harald Meller Kurt W. Alt A Healthier Smile in the Past? Dental Caries and Diet in Early Neolithic Farming Communities from Central Germany Nutrients caries nutrition oral health stable isotope analysis bioarcheology |
| title | A Healthier Smile in the Past? Dental Caries and Diet in Early Neolithic Farming Communities from Central Germany |
| title_full | A Healthier Smile in the Past? Dental Caries and Diet in Early Neolithic Farming Communities from Central Germany |
| title_fullStr | A Healthier Smile in the Past? Dental Caries and Diet in Early Neolithic Farming Communities from Central Germany |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Healthier Smile in the Past? Dental Caries and Diet in Early Neolithic Farming Communities from Central Germany |
| title_short | A Healthier Smile in the Past? Dental Caries and Diet in Early Neolithic Farming Communities from Central Germany |
| title_sort | healthier smile in the past dental caries and diet in early neolithic farming communities from central germany |
| topic | caries nutrition oral health stable isotope analysis bioarcheology |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/9/1831 |
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