Social status and oral health in early medieval Switzerland: The case of the Baar-Früebergstrasse site (Canton Zug, Switzerland)

Abstract

Grave goods do not always reflect the socioeconomic status of the buried people when they were living, so the interpretation of these archeological items may be biased. This paper examines the oral pathologies of individuals (n = 36) from the early medieval cemetery at Baar-Früebergstrasse (Switzerland) and explores the relationship between these pathologies and grave status. The analysis focused on dental parameters such as tooth wear, caries, and periodontitis, among others. Only lower teeth were analyzed. While the general dental status between individuals buried in wealthy and standard graves appear to be very alike, some interesting patterns emerged. Tooth-wear values were similar among sexes and grave goods categories, suggesting a common diet. The incidence of caries was generally low in the studied individuals and grave status does not appear to have a significant influence on this. In addition, alveolar bone status showed significantly different values for the two social groups. These results suggest that no clear dietary differences can be assumed for individuals found in wealthy and standard graves at Baar, given the very similar nature of their oral conditions. However, the limited sample size of the wealthy group necessitates caution in generalizing these results. Further research with larger sample sizes can provide a more comprehensive understanding of oral health disparities associated with socioeconomic factors in the Early Middle Ages.