2024-03-28 08:29:22
Scientists are seeking to reach a greater understanding of the oral health of people who lived in the Bronze Age, after finding bacteria that cause tooth decay in the molars of a man who lived about 4,000 years ago, according to the American CNN network.
This rare discovery could help scientists understand how changes in human diet affect the spread of tooth decay today.
Two teeth were discovered during two archaeological excavations between 1993 and 1996, and they were among several human teeth and other remains found inside a limestone cave in County Limerick, Ireland.
The two molars from which samples were taken date back to between 2280 and 2140 BC, and they are from the same person who lived during the Bronze Age, according to a research paper published, on Wednesday, in the journal “Molecure Biology Evolution” (biology and evolution).
One tooth contained a surprising abundance of Streptococcus mutans, an oral bacteria that causes tooth decay.
Lara Cassidy, lead author of the paper and an assistant professor in the Department of Genetics at Trinity College Dublin, said: “These bacteria are rare in the ancient genomic record, most likely because they were not well preserved due to their acid-producing nature, which causes decay and deterioration.” DNA inside teeth.
Cassidy added that researchers also believe that “bacteria is not commonly found in ancient teeth because the human diet included less refined sugar and fewer processed foods than is consumed today.”
She pointed out that a “major nutritional transformation” was seen with the beginning of agriculture about 10,000 years ago, but the past few hundred years witnessed major changes with the spread of sugar.
It is not clear why the bacteria found on the discovered teeth remained so well preserved, but Cassidy said that “the cold and dry conditions of the cave were possible factors.”
While cavities have been observed in other ancient dental finds, Streptococcus mutans has only been detected in very small quantities in a handful of remains, such as an ancient Neolithic tooth from southwestern France (dating between 3400 and 2900 BC).
Observations of cavities in other ancient teeth became more widespread after the adoption of the cultivation of grains, such as wheat and barley, according to the research paper.
By analyzing bacteria found on Bronze Age teeth and comparing them to modern specimens, the researchers found that the ancient evolutionary tree of Streptococcus mutans is more complex than originally thought.
They also found that traits of ancient bacteria, such as the ability to cause harm, evolved alongside changes in the human diet, including the spread of sugar and grains, Cassidy said.
She added, “Analysis of ancient Streptococcus mutans bacteria indicates that they have become more widespread in recent centuries, due to sugar consumption, which created a suitable habitat for the species found in human mouths.”
She also noted that understanding modern strains of bacteria that cause cavities helps scientists understand how dietary change can affect oral health today.
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