A case of bilateral cleft palate with obturator prosthesis from XVIII century Cracow (Poland)

Abstract

Atrophy or structural defects of the bone palate may be associated with congenital defects, cancer, damage related to dentition, or specific inflammatory diseases such as tuberculosis or syphilis. The prevalence of these conditions in modern populations is relatively high, but still the number of studies based on archaeological skeletal material is scarce.The aim of the work is to present the case of an adult male from 18th-century Poland with a large cavity in the hard palate to which was fitted a well-preserved obturator.The sex and age-at-death of the individual were estimated according to the methodology used in anthropological research. The skull of the individual was subjected to a detailed macroscopic assessment. Imaging tests were also performed using computed tomography.The differential diagnosis indicates the most probable cause of the defect to be an isolated bilateral cleft palate.