Dental diseases of human skeletal remains from the early-modern period of Kumejima Island, Okinawa, Japan

Abstract

Human skeletal remains from the early-modern period (17th–19th centuries AD) of Kumejima Island, the Ryukyu Islands, were examined for dental disease, including dental caries, linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH), antemortem tooth loss (AMTL), and dental calculus. The materials used in this study consisted of 386 adult individuals, 105 male, 89 female, and 192 of unknown sex. The highest rate of dental caries occurred in the adult females. Female physiological events, such as pregnancy and menopause, as well as differences in food preference may have led to this sex difference, as suggested by isotopic analysis. The high incidence of AMTL in the older females indicate that the actual rate of dental caries must have been even higher. There were no significant differences in the rate of dental caries between prehistoric foraging and early-modern farming Ryukyu Islanders, probably because of similar dietary composition of C3 plant and fish. Adult females tended to be more affected by LEH, indicating that they experienced greater physiological stress during early childhood.

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