SCIENCE
As early as 9000 years ago, man’s first trip to the dentist resulted when a minimum of nine individuals survived the procedure of drilling holes into their molars in a Neolithic Indus Valley village in today’s Pakistan. Findings push the dawn of dentistry by 4000 years when a drilled molar was noticed in a Neolithic graveyard found in Denmark, to several years earlier. In fact, recent evidence hints the innovation of dentistry with drilled molars found in the teeth of 300 individuals buried in graves at the Mehrgarh site in western Pakistan, which is believed to be the oldest Stone Age complex in Indus Valley. “This is certainly the first case of drilling a person’s teeth”, said David Frayer, professor of anthropology at University of Kansas. “But even more significant, this practice lasted some 1500 years …show more content…
Despite the lack of evidence of fillings, researchers conclude that holes in teeth were plugged with the use of a certain substance that was bored deep into molars. These holes varied in depth, ranging from half-a-millimeter to 3.5 millimeters, which is deep enough to enter the sensitive dentin by piercing the enamel, suggesting that the ancient Indians had a clear understanding of their use of dental materials. Regardless of the advanced dental care at the time, the individuals in Indus Valley had poor dental health, though the problems were often brutal tear than tooth decay. Robert Macchiarelli, professor of palaeontology at University of Poiters, France, attributed the bad teeth to the Neolithic diet, which included newly domesticated wheat and barley. “A lot of abrasive mineral material was introduced when grains were ground on a stone… and as these people moved to a grain diet, their teeth wore down, dentin was exposed, and the risk of infection rose”, he stated. In addition, none of the individuals with drilled teeth appear to have come from a sanctuary or special tomb, which indicates that oral health care was available to anyone in
As early as 9000 years ago, man’s first trip to the dentist resulted when a minimum of nine individuals survived the procedure of drilling holes into their molars in a Neolithic Indus Valley village in today’s Pakistan. Findings push the dawn of dentistry by 4000 years when a drilled molar was noticed in a Neolithic graveyard found in Denmark, to several years earlier. In fact, recent evidence hints the innovation of dentistry with drilled molars found in the teeth of 300 individuals buried in graves at the Mehrgarh site in western Pakistan, which is believed to be the oldest Stone Age complex in Indus Valley. “This is certainly the first case of drilling a person’s teeth”, said David Frayer, professor of anthropology at University of Kansas. “But even more significant, this practice lasted some 1500 years …show more content…
Despite the lack of evidence of fillings, researchers conclude that holes in teeth were plugged with the use of a certain substance that was bored deep into molars. These holes varied in depth, ranging from half-a-millimeter to 3.5 millimeters, which is deep enough to enter the sensitive dentin by piercing the enamel, suggesting that the ancient Indians had a clear understanding of their use of dental materials. Regardless of the advanced dental care at the time, the individuals in Indus Valley had poor dental health, though the problems were often brutal tear than tooth decay. Robert Macchiarelli, professor of palaeontology at University of Poiters, France, attributed the bad teeth to the Neolithic diet, which included newly domesticated wheat and barley. “A lot of abrasive mineral material was introduced when grains were ground on a stone… and as these people moved to a grain diet, their teeth wore down, dentin was exposed, and the risk of infection rose”, he stated. In addition, none of the individuals with drilled teeth appear to have come from a sanctuary or special tomb, which indicates that oral health care was available to anyone in