Interpreting oral conditions of the past: biocultural factors affecting Gran Canaria’s population between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries (Canary Islands, Spain)

Abstract

The European colonization of the Canary Islands was accompanied by new farming and food processing techniques as well as new dietary patterns. The current study sheds light on the impact of these new techniques and foodstuffs by delving into the oral conditions of members of this society in this timeframe. The analyses of the oral conditions of 85 adults of the Modern Era of Gran Canaria combined with spatial, temporal, and sex criteria led to identifying a paleodietary profile characteristic of this population. This pattern served to evaluate differences among other populations of the archipelago such as the earlier Indigenous Period of Gran Canaria and the Modern Era populations of the neighboring islands of Tenerife and Lanzarote. This study reveals a high prevalence of caries, dental calculus, and antemortem tooth loss, notably along the lines of sex. Comparisons between the different Indigenous and the Modern populations also point to statistical differences between dental caries and heavy macrowear. The Gran Canaria’s Modern Era population had a carbohydrate-rich diet compatible with the intake of cereal and sugar cane products. Oral conditions among males were likely influenced by the newly introduced consumption of tobacco. The results also confirm that the European colonization strongly altered the dietary patterns and food processing techniques inherited from the Indigenous Period. Finally, the comparisons of the Modern Era populations of the three islands of the archipelago reveal an asymmetry between dietary patterns and food processing techniques from one island to another.