Abstract

FLENSBORG, Gustavo. Oral pathologies and diet in hunter-gatherer societies from the eastern Pampa-Patagonia transition (Argentina). Rev. Mus. Antropol. [online]. 2024, vol.17, n.1, pp.51-68.  Epub Apr 30, 2024. ISSN 1852-060X.  http://dx.doi.org/10.31048/1852.4826.v17.n1.42954.

The work aims to evaluate stress processes and dento-alveolar diseases in human groups that inhabited arid-semiarid environments of the inland and the coast of the eastern Pampa-Patagonia transition. It is proposed to discuss differences in dietary and physiological patterns, and adaptive processes to the socio-environmental context of hunter-gatherer groups during the Mid-Late Holocene (~6000-250 years BP / ~6700-320 cal years BP). 1513 teeth and 2162 alveoli were macroscopically analyzed, corresponding to 119 adult individuals of both sexes. Caries, dental calculus, periapical lesions, antemortem tooth loss, and dental wear were analyzed at the individual and dento-alveolar levels. The results indicate high degrees of dental wear, although a decrease in chewing stress processes is observed over time. The incorporation of pottery technology into culinary practices could facilitate access to a softer, more processed diet that slowed down the rate of tooth wear. Dental attrition constitutes the main factor in expressing the oral pathologies. The frequencies of lesions are similar between both sexes, although they vary depending on the age categories. No significant changes are observed in the manifestation of diseases of the oral cavity in human groups throughout the Mid-Late Holocene.

Keywords : Dental attrition; Oral infection; Hunter-gatherers; Coastal-inland; Mid-Late Holocene.

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