ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To analyse the dental remains of an individual with signs of congenital syphilis by using macroscopic observation, CBCT and micro-CT images, and the analysis of the enamel thickness. DESIGN: Anthropological analysis of human skeletal remains from the 16th century archaeological site Park Gric in Zagreb, Croatia discovered a female, 17-20 years old at the time of death, with dental signs supportive of congenital syphilis: mulberry molars and canine defects, as well as non-specific hypoplastic changes on incisors. The focus of the analysis was on three aspects: gross morphology, hypoplastic defects of the molars, canines and incisors, as well as enamel thickness of the upper first and second molars. RESULTS: The observed morphology of the first molars corresponds to the typical aspect of mulberry molars, while that of the canines is characterised by hypomineralisation. Hypoplastic grooves were observed on the incisal edges of all incisors. The enamel of the first molars is underdeveloped while in the second molars a thick-enamelled condition is observed. CONCLUSIONS: Our observations for the dental and skeletal evidence are supportive to a diagnosis of congenital syphilis for this specimen from XVI century Croatia. The use of CT imaging helped documenting the diagnostic features and quantifying the effect of the dental stigmata on first molars.
Subject(s)
Dental Enamel/anatomy & histology , Dental Enamel/pathology , Syphilis, Congenital/diagnosis , Syphilis, Congenital/pathology , Adolescent , Adult , Archaeology , Croatia , Cuspid/anatomy & histology , Cuspid/pathology , Dental Enamel Hypoplasia/diagnosis , Dental Enamel Hypoplasia/pathology , Female , History, 16th Century , Humans , Incisor/anatomy & histology , Incisor/pathology , Molar/anatomy & histology , Molar/pathology , Young AdultABSTRACT
The analysis of 16th century graves from Zagreb, Croatia, revealed a case of frontal sinus osteoma in a middle-aged female. This lesion was discovered during visual examination, due to postmortem breakage of the frontal bone. The significance of this finding is based on the fact that frontal sinus osteomas are very rarely reported in the palaeopathological literature, despite the fact that they account for 80% of all paranasal sinus osteomas in modern populations. This paper presents results of macroscopic and radiographic analyses of the lesion, accompanied by a detailed differential diagnosis. Although tumours are commonly considered diseases of modern lifestyles, the described case confirms their occurrence in the past.