Amazing stuff!
"... Researchers ... looked at a total of 3,293 teeth from 171 of the Nordic marauders, including both kids and adults. ...
"There were several signs that the Vikings had modified their teeth, including evidence of using toothpicks, filing front teeth, and even dental treatment of teeth with infections," ...
The teeth date back to the 10–12th centuries CE and were collected from the well-known Varnhem archaeological dig in Sweden. The site is notable for soil conditions that favor the preservation of remains, including bones and teeth.
Of the adult teeth analyzed, 13 percent were shown to be affected by caries or cavities, often on the surface of the roots. Tooth loss was common too, with adults having lost an average of 6 percent of their teeth, excluding the wisdom teeth.
However, teeth collected from children aged under 12 showed no signs of tooth decay. ..."
"... One sign of more sophisticated procedures was molars with filed holes, from the crown of the tooth and into the pulp, probably in order to relieve pressure and alleviate severe toothache due to infection. ..."
From the abstract:
"In a late Swedish Viking Age population dating from around 10th-12th century AD, the prevalence, distribution and location of dental caries were studied. Tooth wear, other dental pathology and anatomical variations were identified and recorded clinically and radiographically. A total of 3293 teeth were analyzed from 171 individuals with complete and partial dentitions, of which 133 were permanent and 38 deciduous/mixed dentition. The dentitions were studied clinically, using a dental probe under a strong light source, and radiographs were taken for 18 of the individuals to verify and complement the clinical caries registration. Almost half the population, 83 of 171 individuals (49%), had at least one carious lesion. All individuals with deciduous or mixed dentitions were caries-free. The number of teeth affected by caries among adults was 424 (13%) and the surface most susceptible to caries was the root surface. The tooth most commonly affected by caries was the first mandibular molar. Other findings included apical infections, which were detected clinically in 4% of the teeth, and one case of filed front teeth. The findings gave a unique understanding of life and death in this early Christian Viking community and indicated that it was common to suffer from dental caries, tooth loss, infections of dental origin and tooth pain. These Vikings also manipulated their teeth through filing, tooth picking and other occupational behaviors."
Viking dentistry was surprisingly advanced Widespread caries and toothache – but also some dental work and filing of front teeth. Viking Age teeth from Varnhem bear witness to surprisingly advanced dentistry. This has been shown in a study carried out at the University of Gothenburg.
Caries prevalence and other dental pathological conditions in Vikings from Varnhem, Sweden (open access)
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