Wols Helen Danzeiser, Baker Joan E
U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii 96853-5530, USA.
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2004 May;124(1):59-72. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.10334.
Analysis of the skeletal remains of 50 Confederate veterans provided a unique opportunity to explore the dental health of a geriatric sample. These men, who died between 1907-1932, had an average age at death of 76.7 years. Ninety percent were institutionalized at the Confederate Home for Men (Austin, TX) prior to their deaths. This elderly sample was assessed in terms of caries, antemortem tooth loss (AMTL), abscesses, and linear enamel hypoplasias. On a per tooth basis, the AMTL rate was 57.2%. Of 39 dentate men, 33 (84.6%) had dental caries, and 24.4% (121 of 496) of teeth were carious. Ten (25.0%) of the dentate men had hypoplastic teeth. At least one abscess was seen in 14 (28%) of 50 individuals. Results from this geriatric institutionalized sample are compared to contemporaneous historical samples. Disparities in dental health among these groups may be due to differences in average age at death, and these comparisons allow a better understanding of dental changes that occur with age. The sample is also compared to modern elderly samples: modern groups have higher caries rates, possibly because they retained more teeth. This finding may be due in part to diets in the United States becoming increasingly cariogenic over time. In addition, dental care has moved from the reactive practices seen in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries (such as tooth extractions) to modern proactive solutions dedicated to preserving and restoring teeth (such as tooth brushing, fluoride treatments, and dental fillings).
对50名邦联退伍军人的骨骼遗骸进行分析，为探究老年样本的牙齿健康状况提供了一个独特的机会。这些人于1907年至1932年间去世，平均死亡年龄为76.7岁。其中90%的人在去世前被安置在邦联男子之家（德克萨斯州奥斯汀）。该老年样本在龋齿、生前牙齿脱落（AMTL）、脓肿和线性釉质发育不全方面接受了评估。按每颗牙齿计算，AMTL率为57.2%。在39名有牙的男性中，33人（84.6%）有龋齿，496颗牙齿中有24.4%（121颗）龋坏。10名（25.0%）有牙的男性牙齿发育不全。在50名个体中，有14人（28%）至少有一处脓肿。将这个老年机构化样本的结果与同期的历史样本进行了比较。这些群体之间牙齿健康的差异可能是由于平均死亡年龄的不同，而这些比较有助于更好地理解随着年龄增长而发生的牙齿变化。该样本还与现代老年样本进行了比较：现代群体的龋齿率更高，可能是因为他们保留的牙齿更多。这一发现可能部分归因于随着时间的推移，美国的饮食越来越容易导致龋齿。此外，牙科护理已从19世纪和20世纪初的被动做法（如拔牙）转变为致力于保存和修复牙齿的现代主动解决方案（如刷牙、氟化物治疗和补牙）。
