TY - JOUR
T1 - The dawn of dentistry in the late upper Paleolithic
T2 - An early case of pathological intervention at Riparo Fredian
AU - Oxilia, Gregorio
AU - Fiorillo, Flavia
AU - Boschin, Francesco
AU - Boaretto, Elisabetta
AU - Apicella, Salvatore A.
AU - Matteucci, Chiara
AU - Panetta, Daniele
AU - Pistocchi, Rossella
AU - Guerrini, Franca
AU - Margherita, Cristiana
AU - Andretta, Massimo
AU - Sorrentino, Rita
AU - Boschian, Giovanni
AU - Arrighi, Simona
AU - Dori, Irene
AU - Mancuso, Giuseppe
AU - Crezzini, Jacopo
AU - Riga, Alessandro
AU - Serrangeli, Maria C.
AU - Vazzana, Antonino
AU - Salvadori, Piero A.
AU - Vandini, Mariangela
AU - Tozzi, Carlo
AU - Moroni, Adriana
AU - Feeney, Robin N.M.
AU - Willman, John C.
AU - Moggi-Cecchi, Jacopo
AU - Benazzi, Stefano
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
PY - 2017/7
Y1 - 2017/7
N2 - Objectives: Early evidence for the treatment of dental pathology is found primarily among food-producing societies associated with high levels of oral pathology. However, some Late Pleistocene hunter-gatherers show extensive oral pathology, suggesting that experimentation with therapeutic dental interventions may have greater antiquity. Here, we report the second earliest probable evidence for dentistry in a Late Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherer recovered from Riparo Fredian (Tuscany, Italy). Materials and Methods: The Fredian 5 human consists of an associated maxillary anterior dentition with antemortem exposure of both upper first incisor (I1) pulp chambers. The pulp chambers present probable antemortem modifications that warrant in-depth analyses and direct dating. Scanning electron microscopy, microCT and residue analyses were used to investigate the purported modifications of external and internal surfaces of each I1. Results: The direct date places Fredian 5 between 13,000 and 12,740 calendar years ago. Both pulp chambers were circumferentially enlarged prior to the death of this individual. Occlusal dentine flaking on the margin of the cavities and striations on their internal aspects suggest anthropic manipulation. Residue analyses revealed a conglomerate of bitumen, vegetal fibers, and probable hairs adherent to the internal walls of the cavities. Discussion: The results are consistent with tool-assisted manipulation to remove necrotic or infected pulp in vivo and the subsequent use of a composite, organic filling. Fredian 5 confirms the practice of dentistry—specifically, a pathology-induced intervention—among Late Pleistocene hunter-gatherers. As such, it appears that fundamental perceptions of biomedical knowledge and practice were in place long before the socioeconomic changes associated with the transition to food production in the Neolithic.
AB - Objectives: Early evidence for the treatment of dental pathology is found primarily among food-producing societies associated with high levels of oral pathology. However, some Late Pleistocene hunter-gatherers show extensive oral pathology, suggesting that experimentation with therapeutic dental interventions may have greater antiquity. Here, we report the second earliest probable evidence for dentistry in a Late Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherer recovered from Riparo Fredian (Tuscany, Italy). Materials and Methods: The Fredian 5 human consists of an associated maxillary anterior dentition with antemortem exposure of both upper first incisor (I1) pulp chambers. The pulp chambers present probable antemortem modifications that warrant in-depth analyses and direct dating. Scanning electron microscopy, microCT and residue analyses were used to investigate the purported modifications of external and internal surfaces of each I1. Results: The direct date places Fredian 5 between 13,000 and 12,740 calendar years ago. Both pulp chambers were circumferentially enlarged prior to the death of this individual. Occlusal dentine flaking on the margin of the cavities and striations on their internal aspects suggest anthropic manipulation. Residue analyses revealed a conglomerate of bitumen, vegetal fibers, and probable hairs adherent to the internal walls of the cavities. Discussion: The results are consistent with tool-assisted manipulation to remove necrotic or infected pulp in vivo and the subsequent use of a composite, organic filling. Fredian 5 confirms the practice of dentistry—specifically, a pathology-induced intervention—among Late Pleistocene hunter-gatherers. As such, it appears that fundamental perceptions of biomedical knowledge and practice were in place long before the socioeconomic changes associated with the transition to food production in the Neolithic.
KW - Paleolithic
KW - dental filling
KW - dental treatment
KW - late upper
KW - oral hygiene
KW - paleopathology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85016475867&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.23216
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.23216
M3 - مقالة
C2 - 28345756
SN - 0002-9483
VL - 163
SP - 446
EP - 461
JO - American Journal of Physical Anthropology
JF - American Journal of Physical Anthropology
IS - 3
ER -