Morphological Changes in Dental Surfaces Suggest Health Status and Alimentary Habits in the Subjects Belonging to the Copper Age in Sardinia Island (III Millennium BC)

Maria Elisabetta Murgia;Martina Salvatorina Murgia;Cinzia Casu;Eleonora Casula;Ornella Fonzo;Giacomo Paglietti;Valentino Garau;Germano Orrù

2021-01-01

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Abstract

The aim of this multidisciplinary study, which involved a team of archaeologists, odontologists, biologists, is to examine a set of dental health indicators, including caries, tooth wear, and enamel hypoplasia of a III millennium BC sample from the burial site of Scaba ’e Arriu (Siddi, South Sardinia), in order to evaluate the dental health status and the diet. Our purpose is to depict a timeline of dental health in Sardinia from prehistory to the present day, starting with a focus on a Copper Age population. Caries, dental wear, and enamel hypoplasia of 259 permanent teeth were evaluated. It was not possible to assign sex and age of each tooth because of the lack of bony support, lost due to taphonomy factors. 14,7% of Scaba‘e Arriu’s samples were affected by carious lesions, with greater involvement of the posterior teeth (12,7% against 1,9% of anterior ones). Interproximal caries was the most frequent. Dental wear affected 77,8% of the teeth, and its presence is preponderant over caries’ rate. The high percentage of dental wear suggests a diet based on abrasive foods. Further studies are necessary to delineate more accurately the modus vivendi, the nutrition, and, consequently, the health status of this sample.