Intentional Dental Modification Research Articles

Intentional dental modification in Panamá: New support for a late introduction of African origin

Intentional dental modification is a widespread practice in both ancient and modern populations. In Panama, the modern practice is restricted to the Ngäbe indigenous people inhabiting the western provinces. Several researchers have posited that Ngäbe dental modification evidences cultural transfer of African origin due to the absence of post-contact records of this practice in the region, and based on the chipping technique used to create a pointed tooth shape. In this paper, we collate bioarchaeological data from human remains recovered from pre-contact and early colonial period contexts in Panama to evaluate this hypothesis. The results of our study found no evidence for intentional dental modification among the pre-contact sample, but several instances of artificially modified incisor teeth among the early colonial sample. The latter pertained exclusively to individuals of African ancestry, and whose teeth had been chipped to points in the same manner as reported from Ngäbe communities. Isotope data revealed that one individual was a first-generation immigrant who likely originated from the African continent. Based on these results, as well as an exhaustive review of the ethnohistorical and modern ethnographic literature, the original hypothesis of a late introduction of African origin for the practice of dental shaping among the Ngäbe was upheld.

An investigation of ancient Maya intentional dental modification practices at Midnight Terror Cave using anthroposcopic and paleogenomic methods

Evidence of intentional dental modification practices has been found throughout Mesoamerica dating from the Early Preclassic period to the conquest. The recovery of 102 modified teeth from Midnight Terror Cave (MTC) provides a sufficiently large sample to critically examine current explanations of intentional dental modification. Paleogenomic analysis was employed in order to test hypotheses which link intentional dental modification to sex and kinship. DNA was extracted and genomic sequencing libraries were made for 27 teeth. Results show the presence of both sexes, indicating that the practice is not sex linked. The mitochondrial genome data detects a possible link between intentional dental modification and style.

Revisiting Prei Khmeng: The Excavation of an Iron Age Settlement and Cemetery in Cambodia

Prei Khmeng, a village 13 km northwest of Siem Reap, Cambodia, is noted for the presence of one of the region's earliest monuments, Prasat Prei Khmeng. Aside from its ruined temple, Prei Khmeng is an important prehistoric occupation site that immediately pre-dates the foundation of the temple. First excavated by a Franco-Cambodian team in the early 2000s, the site was revisited in 2014 by an Australian-Cambodian research team. Recent research revealed Iron Age domestic occupation as well as inhumation burials. The burial assemblage provides evidence of regional trade and exchange and mortuary wealth differentiation. Bioarchaeological examination of the individuals interred at the site reveals intentional dental modification and perimortem blunt and sharp force skeletal trauma. This research sheds light on this important epoch in prehistory, a juncture between the prehistoric and protohistoric period in Cambodia, which was a time of substantial socio-political transformation.

Dental caries and intentional dental modification in a skeletal sample of enslaved Africans from Lagos, Portugal (15th–17th centuries)

AbstractIn 2009, a salvage archaeological excavation in Valle da Gafaria (Lagos, Portugal) brought to light the skeletal remains of 158 African enslaved individuals (15th–17th centuries), from which several presented intentional dental modifications on their anterior dentition. Although this cultural practice may be related to rites of passage, differential status, group identification, mourning, or embellishment, it is not exempt from risk. Among the possible consequences are pulp necrosis, dental caries in the modified surface, loss of masticatory function, and dental enamel hypoplasia in the permanent teeth. A previous study in the Lagos collection already confirmed that anterior modified teeth were significantly more affected by periapical lesions (9.3%) than unmodified teeth (0.4%). Therefore, the aim of this investigation is to analyse the relationship between dental caries and intentional dental modification in the Lagos sample. Eighty‐one individuals were analysed, making a total of 2,285 alveoli and 2,063 teeth (757 anterior and 1,306 posterior). Dental caries was recorded if there was a discernible, even if small, white or brown lesion in the otherwise translucent enamel, or if there was a cavity. Intentional dental modifications were recorded according to their presence and incisal angles removed. Dental caries affected 78 individuals (96.3%) and 1,072 teeth (52.0%). In all, intentional dental modifications were observed in 50 (61.7%) individuals and 203 (27.1%) anterior teeth. Modified teeth were significantly more affected by caries (84.2%) than nonmodified teeth (31.7%). Given that all modifications involved the removal of the mesial and/or distal angles of the teeth, the relationship between these alterations and the presence of caries was investigated. In fact, when modified, mesial and distal contact areas were significantly more affected by caries, although mostly noncavitated, supporting the hypothesis that this cultural practice turns teeth more prone to dental caries.

Residential Mobility and Dental Decoration in Early Medieval Spain: Results from the Eighth Century Site of Plaza del Castillo, Pamplona

Excavations at Plaza del Castillo in Pamplona (northern Spain) revealed a large Islamic necropolis dating to the eighth century A.D., including the skeleton of an adult female showing intentional dental modification (PLA-159). While the practice of dental decoration was virtually absent in Medieval Spain, it is common in Africa and suggests that this individual was born in Africa and brought to Spain later in life. The historically documented occupation of Pamplona by Muslim groups from northern Africa between ca. 715 and 799 A.D. also supports an African origin. As an additional line of evidence, we investigated the geographic origins of two individuals from the cemetery, including PLA-159, via radiogenic strontium and stable oxygen isotope analyses on enamel hydroxyapatite. The human isotopic signatures were measured following established methodologies and compared to the local geochemical composition and modern precipitation values. The data analysis showed a non-local isotopic signature for both individuals, suggesting that they moved to Pamplona following childhood, probably from northern Africa, during the Islamization of the city. Stable carbon isotope analysis revealed a diet heavily based on C3 terrestrial plants. Overall, this preliminary data set exemplifies the use of biogeochemistry as an analytical tool, and provides unique insight about the diffusion of Muslim groups into the Early Medieval Iberian Peninsula.

First evidence of pre-Hispanic dentistry in South America – Insights from Cusco, Peru

Intentional dental modification (IDM) derived from archeological or ethnographic contexts has been extensively documented across the globe. Despite the wealth of information on IDM for personal ornamentation and ritualistic purposes, evidence of IDM for therapeutic reasons among early Native Americans is poorly known and limited to a handful of cases. We report two upper canines from two pre-Hispanic individuals dated to the Late Horizon Period from Cusco (Peru), each showing a conical perforation on its incisal surface. Analyses were performed using traditional radiography, computed tomography and scanning electron microscopy. The depth and symmetrical location of the perforations at the center of the crown suggest that these two teeth were artificially drilled, rather than affected by taphonomic factors. The poor oral health of the individuals, the location of the perforations on the incisal surface, and evidence of intentional manipulation of the pulp chambers (as supported by their overall morphology and presence of striations and deep marks along the walls of the perforations) provide a strong case for the occurrence of prehistoric dentistry in the New World. The two canine teeth reported here represent the first pre-Columbian examples of IDM likely performed to ameliorate a dental pathology (presumably associated with the infection of the dental pulp) found in Peru and in the rest of South America.

Intentional dental modification: assessment of a historical museum specimen from the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Intentional dental modification has been practised across Africa for the past 10,000 years; three variations have been noted: filing, chipping and evulsion. Of these, dental filing is the most prolific. Restyling of the teeth for aesthetic socio-cultural reasons is a practice with both a wide-ranging geographical trend and a broad temporal scale. This article presents the assessment of one specimen held within the Odontological Collection at the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) that displays significant reshaping: four modified maxillary incisors from one individual, reportedly from the Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which have been filed into pronounced points. Observations have been made on the impact of modifying human teeth ante-mortem, and the resultant reaction of the dental tissues to invasive reshaping.

Prehistoric dental modification in West Africa – early evidence from Karkarichinkat Nord, Mali

AbstractThis paper reports the earliest securely dated evidence for intentional dental modification in West Africa. Human remains representing 11 individuals were recovered from the sites of Karkarichikat Nord (KN05) and Karkarichinkat Sud (KS05) in the lower Tilemsi Valley of eastern Mali. The modified anterior maxillary dentitions of four individuals were recovered from KN05. The dental modification involved the removal of the mesial and distal angles of the incisor, as well as the mesial angles of the canines. The modifications did not result from task‐specific wear or trauma, but appear instead to have been produced for aesthetic purposes. All of the filed teeth belonged to probable females, suggesting the possibility of sex‐specific cultural modification. Radiocarbon dates from the site indicate that the remains pertain to the Late Stone Age (ca. 4500–4200 BP). Dental modification has not previously been reported from this region of West Africa and our findings indicate that the practice was more widespread during prehistory. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.