Forshaw R J
Honorary Research Associate, KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester/Dental Surgeon.
Br Dent J. 2009 Apr 25;206(8):421-4. doi: 10.1038/sj.bdj.2009.309.
In ancient Egypt the exceptionally dry climate together with the unique burial customs has resulted in the survival of large numbers of well-preserved skeletal and mummified remains. Examinations of these remains together with an analysis of the surviving documentary, archaeological and ethnographic evidence has enabled a detailed picture of the dental health of these ancient people to be revealed, perhaps more so than for any other civilisation in antiquity. In this, the first of two articles, the dental pathological conditions that afflicted the ancient Egyptians is considered. The commonest finding is that of tooth wear, which was often so excessive that it resulted in pulpal exposure. Multiple abscesses were frequently seen, but caries was not a significant problem. Overall the findings indicate that the various pathological conditions and non-pathological abnormalities of teeth evident in dentitions in the twenty-first century were also manifest in ancient Egypt, although the incidences of these conditions varies considerably between the civilisations.
在古埃及，异常干燥的气候与独特的丧葬习俗使得大量保存完好的骨骼和木乃伊得以留存。对这些遗骸的检查，以及对现存文献、考古和人种学证据的分析，使我们能够详细了解这些古代人的牙齿健康状况，或许比了解古代任何其他文明的牙齿健康状况都更为详尽。在这两篇文章的第一篇中，我们将探讨困扰古埃及人的牙齿病理状况。最常见的发现是牙齿磨损，其程度往往非常严重，以至于导致牙髓暴露。多发性脓肿也屡见不鲜，但龋齿并非严重问题。总体而言，这些发现表明，21世纪牙列中明显可见的各种牙齿病理状况和非病理异常在古埃及也同样存在，尽管这些状况在不同文明之间的发生率差异很大。
