Seiler Roger, Álvarez Myriam Seco, Rühli Frank, Eppenberger Patrick
Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
Thutmose III Temple Project, Department of Prehistory and Archaeology, University of Seville, Spain.
J Dent Sci. 2024 Oct;19(4):2348-2354. doi: 10.1016/j.jds.2024.01.010. Epub 2024 Feb 6.
BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Oral pathologies in ancient human remains provide a unique glimpse into the lifestyles, health, and societal norms of past civilizations, including ancient Egypt. However, comprehensive paleo-odontological studies accounting for temporal and sociodemographic variations remain scarce. We address this gap by analyzing oral pathologies in the remains of 68 and 57 adult individuals, respectively, unearthed from two adjacent yet temporally and socioeconomically diverse burial sites, representing the XI dynasty (2160-1985 BCE) and the XXV-XXVI dynasties (948-525 BCE), at Luxor's Thutmose III Funerary Temple.
We examined dental wear, carious and periapical lesions, periodontal disease, and temporomandibular joint alterations, hypothesizing that dental wear correlates with age, lifestyle, and diet. We also postulated a link between higher caries frequency and elevated social status and posited the enhanced efficacy of evaluating interdental septa over measuring the alveolar bone-cementoenamel junction distance for periodontitis assessment.
Our findings confirm pronounced dental wear in both sites, with the XI dynasty showing more severe wear, indicating differing dietary habits. While similar across the younger age groups, the later dynasties showed a significantly higher caries frequency than the XI dynasty, in the older age groups. Furthermore, our results underscore the superior accuracy of evaluating interdental septa for periodontal disease assessment.
Variations in oral health, sociodemographic, and dietary trends across the studied burial sites, deepen our understanding of human health trajectories. Additionally, our methodology emphasizes paleo-odontology's vital role in deciphering the nuanced health-environment relationship in ancient societies, laying a foundation for subsequent investigations.
背景/目的：古代人类遗骸中的口腔病理学为了解过去文明（包括古埃及）的生活方式、健康状况和社会规范提供了独特视角。然而，考虑到时间和社会人口统计学差异的全面古牙科学研究仍然匮乏。我们通过分析分别从卢克索图特摩斯三世 funerary 神庙中两个相邻但在时间和社会经济方面存在差异的墓地出土的68名和57名成年个体遗骸中的口腔病理学情况来填补这一空白，这两个墓地分别代表了第十一王朝（公元前2160 - 1985年）和第二十五至二十六王朝（公元前948 - 525年）。
我们检查了牙齿磨损、龋病和根尖周病变、牙周疾病以及颞下颌关节改变，假设牙齿磨损与年龄、生活方式和饮食相关。我们还推测龋齿频率较高与社会地位较高之间存在联系，并认为在评估牙周炎时，评估牙间隙比测量牙槽骨 - 牙骨质釉质界距离更有效。
我们的研究结果证实两个墓地都存在明显的牙齿磨损，第十一王朝的磨损更为严重，表明饮食习惯不同。虽然在较年轻年龄组中情况相似，但在较年长年龄组中，后期王朝的龋齿频率明显高于第十一王朝。此外，我们的结果强调了评估牙间隙在牙周疾病评估中的更高准确性。
所研究墓地在口腔健康、社会人口统计学和饮食趋势方面的差异，加深了我们对人类健康轨迹的理解。此外，我们的方法强调了古牙科学在解读古代社会细微的健康 - 环境关系方面的重要作用，为后续研究奠定了基础。
