Investigating the demographic history of Japan using ancient oral microbiota.

While microbial communities in the human body (microbiota) are now commonly associated with health and disease in industrialised populations, we know very little about how these communities co-evolved and changed with humans throughout history and deep prehistory. We can now examine these communities by sequencing ancient DNA preserved within calcified dental plaque (calculus), providing insights into the origins of disease and their links to human history. Here, we examine ancient DNA preserved within dental calculus samples and their associations with two major cultural periods in Japan: the Jomon period hunter-gatherers approximately 3000 years before present (BP) and the Edo period agriculturalists 400-150 BP. We investigate how human oral microbiomes have changed in Japan through time and explore the presence of microorganisms associated with oral diseases (e.g. periodontal disease, dental caries) in ancient Japanese populations. Finally, we explore oral microbial strain diversity and its potential links to ancient demography in ancient Japan by performing phylogenomic analysis of a widely conserved oral species-Anaerolineaceae oral taxon 439. This research represents, to our knowledge, the first study of ancient oral microbiomes from Japan and demonstrates that the analysis of ancient dental calculus can provide key information about the origin of non-infectious disease and its deep roots with human demography. This article is part of the theme issue 'Insights into health and disease from ancient biomolecules'.

Prevalence and severity of periodontal disease in a historical Austrian population.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence and severity of periodontitis based on different diagnostic methods in a historical Austrian population from the early middle ages. BACKGROUND: The description of the oral health status of archaeological material can provide interesting insights into prevalence, severity, and extent of oral diseases. Herein, the periodontal health status of the skeletal remains of medieval Avars (700-800 AD), which were considered as one of the earliest Avarian settlements in Austria, was investigated. METHODS: The skeletal remains of 128 Avars were examined; age and gender were estimated by standard forensic methods and tooth loss and root caries were recorded. Periodontitis was assessed by (a) measurement of the alveolar bone levels (ABL) and (b) evaluation of the interdental septa. RESULTS: A mean ABL of 4.8 mm was determined, root caries tended to accumulate in teeth with a higher alveolar bone loss, and on average, 6.2 teeth were lost antemortem. Independent of the diagnostic method >90% of the subjects were judged as periodontally diseased, and age and tooth type were significant predictors. However, on the tooth level the presence of periodontitis varied considerably depending on the diagnostic method; that is, 7.6% versus 47.2% of the teeth were judged as healthy based on ABL or interdental septa, respectively. CONCLUSION: The periodontal status of the skeletal remains of medieval Avars revealed a considerable high prevalence of periodontitis (ie, >90% of this population displayed periodontal tissue breakdown). However, the diagnostic method, disease definition, and data presentation should be considered when comparing results of archaeological material.

Dental markers of poverty: Biocultural deliberations on oral health of the poor in mid-nineteenth-century Ireland.

OBJECTIVES: Despite subsisting on a low-cariogenic diet comprising virtually nothing more than potatoes and dairy products, poor oral health affected the quality of life for the poor of nineteenth-century Ireland. This study investigates potential biocultural reasons that may explain why this was the case. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 6,860 teeth and 9,889 alveoli from 363 permanent dentitions from the skeletal remains of impoverished adult Irish males and females who died between 1847 and 1851 in the Kilkenny Union Workhouse were examined for evidence of dental caries, periodontal disease and ante-mortem tooth loss. Caries rates were quantified and assessed by crude prevalence, frequencies, corrected caries rates and a t-health index, and evaluated by sex and age groups. RESULTS: A higher rate of caries was present among 18-25-year-old males than females, while the opposite relationship was evident for older age groups. The prevalence rates of periodontal disease and ante-mortem tooth loss increased with age. When assessed by corrected caries rates, tooth decay is observed at a lower rate compared to contemporaneous lower to upper-class population samples from London. DISCUSSION: Despite being low cariogenic foods, the potato starch and milk lactose of a nineteenth-century Irish laborer's diet would have lowered oral pH-values thereby increasing the risk of bacterial fermentation in dental plaque resulting in caries. Nutritional features alone cannot explain the high rates of dental caries observed in the Kilkenny workhouse population sample, however, and lifestyle factors, particularly habitual clay-pipe smoking, is considered a significant cause of poor oral health.

Periodontal Diagnosis and Treatment in the Coming Decades.

The purpose of this article is to review the dominant paradigms and thinking behind periodontal diagnosis and treatment over the last 150 years, including the clinical characteristics paradigm, the classical pathology paradigm, and the infection/ host response paradigm, and to predict what changes may occur in the next 50 years, such as the molecular ecology paradigm.

Oral pathology patterns in late farmers of the Central Andes: A comparative perspective between coastal and highland populations.

Aiming at future comparisons with earlier hunter-gatherers or transitional populations, this paper intends to characterize and describe the oral pathology pattern of late agriculturalists from Central Andes dating to the Late Intermediate Period (LIP) and Inca periods (1000-1532 CE), and identify differences and/or similarities between coastal and highland populations. Although the botanical inventories of the LIP suggest carbohydrate-rich diets and similar components, it has been hypothesized that coastal and highland populations had, nevertheless, substantially different oral pathology patterns. We evaluated 14 indicators of oral pathology from Los Pinos (n=200) and Armatambo (n=25) sites in the Central Coast and two chronological phases from Laguna de los Cóndores site (LC-Inca, n=23; and LC-LIP, n=55), in the Peruvian northern highlands. The results showed a recurrent pattern of oral pathologies characterized by cervical caries (above 30%), extra-occlusal caries (above 60%), high rates of gross-gross caries, high frequency of ante mortem tooth loss, and signals of periodontal disease among these four populations. The diets of the coast were slightly more abrasive than those of the highlands. Oral pathology patterns were compatible with a slightly more cariogenic diet in the coast than in the highlands. In all four populations, those patterns were modulated by other common factors such as consumption of fermented drinks (maize beer - chicha) and the coca leaf chewing habit.

Epidemic trend of periodontal disease in elderly Chinese population, 1987-2015: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Periodontal disease is a common oral health problem in the elderly population. The prevalence varied substantially due to absence of a universal diagnostic criteria. We conducted a systematic review to identify the epidemiological characteristics of periodontal diseases among Chinese elderly people. A total of 19 articles were included. The pooled detection rates for three indicators, including bleeding on probing (BOP), pocket depth (PD) and clinical attachment loss (CAL), were 53.9% (95% CI: 43.8-63.9%), 57.0% (50.8-63.2%), and 70.1% (65.4-74.8%), respectively. No significant differences in these indicators between urban and rural population. When stratified by gender, BOP (+) detection rates did not show any differences, but the detection rates of PD ≥ 4 mm and CAL ≥ 4 mm were significantly higher in males than in females (59.3% [53.4-65.2%] versus 50.8% [43.5-58.0%], RRPD = 1.13 [1.01-1.26]; 73.8% [70.0-77.7%] versus 65.2% [60.2-70.2%], RRCAL = 1.21 [1.11-1.32]). No statistically significant differences were observed between CAL ≥ 4 mm and PD ≥ 4 mm (RR = 1.12, [0.83-1.50]). A geographical map based on available data during 1987-2015 showed wide variations of periodontal disease across the mainland China. Some factors such as heterogeneity of case definitions, no specific diagnosis of periodontitis, and variable quality of the included studies could affect the final results. Hence, further high-quality epidemiological studies with standardized diagnostic criteria are needed.

Enfermedad periodontal en adolescentes / Periodontal disease in teenagers

Introducción: durante mucho tiempo se creyó que la enfermedad periodontal era una afección de la adultez, sin embargo la falta de motivación en la práctica de la higiene oral en la etapa de la adolescencia condiciona su aparición. Objetivo: identificar el estado periodontal en adolescentes de la escuela Secundaria Básica Urbana ¨Raúl Pujols¨, en la ciudad de Santiago de Cuba, en el periodo de septiembre 2014 hasta marzo 2015. Materiales y Métodos: se realizó un estudio observacional, descriptivo transversal. El universo estuvo constituido por los 75 adolescentes, entre 11 a 14 años de edad de ambos sexos. Se utilizó el índice periodontal de Russell revisado por la Organización Mundial de la Salud y el índice de Love. Se confeccionó una planilla de recolección de datos para los resultados del examen físico y como medidas de resumen se usó el porcentaje. Resultados: prevaleció la gingivitis leve en el 66,7 % de los adolescentes, relacionado a la existencia de una higiene bucal deficiente. Predominó el sexo femenino y los factores de riesgo más encontrados fueron el apiñamiento dentario y los hábitos deletéreos. Conclusiones: la mayoría de los adolescentes del estudio presentaron gingivitis leve con una higiene bucal deficiente (AU).

Introduction: during many time it was believed that periodontal disease was adulthood affection, but lack of motivation in the practice of oral hygiene in the adolescence induces its beginning. Aim: to identify the periodontal status in teenagers from the Urban Secondary School “Raul Pujols”, in the city of Santiago de Cuba, in the period September 2014-March 2015. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive, observational study was carried out. The universe was formed by 75 both-sexes teenagers, aged 11-14 years. Russells periodontal index, up-dated by the Word Health Organization, and Loves index were used. A form of data collection for the results of the physical examination was elaborated, and percentage was used as a summarizing measure. Results: mild gingivitis prevailed in 66.7 % of the teenagers, related with the deficient oral health. Female sex prevailed and the most commonly found risk factors were dental crowding and deleterious habits. Conclusions: most of the teenagers participating in the study had mild gingivitis and deficient oral health (AU).

Enfermedad periodontal en adolescentes / Periodontal disease in teenagers

Introducción: durante mucho tiempo se creyó que la enfermedad periodontal era una afección de la adultez, sin embargo la falta de motivación en la práctica de la higiene oral en la etapa de la adolescencia condiciona su aparición. Objetivo: identificar el estado periodontal en adolescentes de la escuela Secundaria Básica Urbana ¨Raúl Pujols¨, en la ciudad de Santiago de Cuba, en el periodo de septiembre 2014 hasta marzo 2015. Materiales y Métodos: se realizó un estudio observacional, descriptivo transversal. El universo estuvo constituido por los 75 adolescentes, entre 11 a 14 años de edad de ambos sexos. Se utilizó el índice periodontal de Russell revisado por la Organización Mundial de la Salud y el índice de Love. Se confeccionó una planilla de recolección de datos para los resultados del examen físico y como medidas de resumen se usó el porcentaje. Resultados: prevaleció la gingivitis leve en el 66,7 % de los adolescentes, relacionado a la existencia de una higiene bucal deficiente. Predominó el sexo femenino y los factores de riesgo más encontrados fueron el apiñamiento dentario y los hábitos deletéreos. Conclusiones: la mayoría de los adolescentes del estudio presentaron gingivitis leve con una higiene bucal deficiente (AU).

Introduction: during many time it was believed that periodontal disease was adulthood affection, but lack of motivation in the practice of oral hygiene in the adolescence induces its beginning. Aim: to identify the periodontal status in teenagers from the Urban Secondary School “Raul Pujols”, in the city of Santiago de Cuba, in the period September 2014-March 2015. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive, observational study was carried out. The universe was formed by 75 both-sexes teenagers, aged 11-14 years. Russell’s periodontal index, up-dated by the Word Health Organization, and Love’s index were used. A form of data collection for the results of the physical examination was elaborated, and percentage was used as a summarizing measure. Results: mild gingivitis prevailed in 66.7 % of the teenagers, related with the deficient oral health. Female sex prevailed and the most commonly found risk factors were dental crowding and deleterious habits. Conclusions: most of the teenagers participating in the study had mild gingivitis and deficient oral health (AU).

Correlation of Periodontal Disease With Inflammatory Arthritis in the Time Before Modern Medical Intervention.

BACKGROUND: Controversy exists regarding possible correlation of periodontal disease with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Confounding factors may relate to stringency of inflammatory disease diagnosis and the effect of therapeutic intervention for RA on periodontal disease. These factors are investigated in this study. METHODS: Forty-five individuals with documented RA (n = 15), spondyloarthropathy (n = 15), and calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease (CPPD) (n = 15), from the Hamann-Todd collection of human skeletons compiled from 1912 to 1938, and 15 individuals contemporarily incorporated in the collection were examined for tooth loss, cavity occurrence, average and maximum lingual and buccal depth of space between tooth and bone, periosteal reaction, serpentine bone resorption, abscess formation, and root penetration of the bone surface and analyzed by analysis of variance. RESULTS: Tooth loss was common, but actual number of teeth lost, cavity occurrence, average and maximum lingual and buccal depth of space between tooth and bone, periosteal reaction, serpentine grooving surrounding teeth (considered a sign of inflammation), abscess formation, and root exposure (penetration of bone surface) were indistinguishable among controls and individuals with RA, spondyloarthropathy, and CPPD. CONCLUSIONS: Although many factors can affect periodontal disease, presence of inflammatory arthritis does not appear to be one of them. The implication is that dental disease was common in the general population and not necessarily associated with arthritis, at least before the advent of modern rheumatologic medications. As specific diagnosis did not affect prevalence, perhaps current prevalence controversy may relate to current intervention, a subject for further study.

A study of the periodontal state of a late Medieval United Kingdom population.

OBJECTIVE: To study the severity of bone loss in a Medieval UK population, and compare this with other ancient UK populations from different time periods. DESIGN: Skulls from a burial site in York (XI-XV century) were investigated. Skulls with a minimum of 17 teeth were included and were divided from childhood into five age groups. Direct measurements from the cement enamel junction (CEJ) to the alveolar crest (AC) were undertaken at six points around each tooth with a UNC 15 probe. The mean bone loss was calculated for each tooth type. RESULTS: Seventy five skulls were included in the study (12-60 years of age). Bone loss was found to increase with age, but stabilized in older individuals (>45 years). The mean CEJ-AC distance varied from 2.1mm in the youngest group to a maximum of 4.1mm in 36-45 year olds. Results were compared with a Roman-British population (Whittaker et al., 1982) where comparable values for mean bone loss were 2.2mm and 5.4mm respectively, and a population of XVIII century Londoners (Whittaker et al., 1998) where bone loss of 1.1mm and 4.0mm was reported for the youngest and oldest age groups respectively. CONCLUSION: Measuring the CEJ-AC distance in dried skulls from ancient populations may be used as a proxy for the levels of periodontal disease irrespective of tooth wear. The findings from the current study suggest that the severity of periodontitis as determined by measurements of alveolar bone loss on dried skulls from this ancient population, seems to have declined in the United Kingdom from the III-V century to XVIII century. This may be due to changes in environmental factors including living conditions and diet, together with individual characteristics including systemic illness and genetic make up.

Unlocking the past: The role of dental analysis in archaeology.

What can the study of ancient teeth tell us about the life style and dietary habits of our ancestors? Dental palaeopathology is particularly important as it can provide direct evidence of the type of diet an individual consumed during life. An analysis of the angle of tooth wear evident on the crown of the tooth can help to distinguish between early hunter-gatherers and later agriculturists, whilst microwear features on the occlusal surface can help to discern subtle dietary shifts. The distributions of stable isotopes in food webs make it possible to use them to reconstruct ancient diets as well as tracing the geographic origins and migrations of peoples. Plant microfossils have been isolated from calculus which can be identified using light microscopy. Teeth are particularly useful in ancient DNA studies due to the excellent preservation of biomaterials within the enamel shell of the tooth.

Forty years of national surveys: An overview of children's dental health from 1973-2013.

INTRODUCTION: The first national survey of children's dental health in England and Wales was carried out in 1973. Subsequent surveys, in 1983, 1993 and 2003, included all United Kingdom health departments. The 2013 survey involved England, Wales and Northern Ireland. AIM: To consider all five surveys, from 1973 to 2013, so as to summarise trends in the dental health of children in the UK over the last 40 years. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The 2013 survey was commissioned by the Health &Social Care Information Centre and all surveys used data collected during dental examinations conducted in schools on a random sample of children by NHS dentists, together with a questionnaire to parents of those children. In 2013, a pupil questionnaire for 12- and 15-year-olds was introduced, to complement information received from parents and carers. RESULTS: A total of 69,318 children, aged 5-15 years, were involved, from 1973-2013. Caries prevalence has reduced from 72% to 41% in 5-year-olds, and from 97% to 46% in 15-year-olds in 40 years. Changes in periodontal disease, orthodontic treatment, accidental damage to anterior teeth, tooth surface loss and enamel defects, are also summarised. Behavioural and attitudinal characteristics observed in the 2013 report are listed. CONCLUSIONS: Caries is now concentrated in a minority of children. The prevalence of gingivitis has not changed a great deal in 40 years. About half of those children assessed 'in orthodontic need' receive treatment.

Dental health of the late 19th and early 20th century Khoesan.

This paper presents the results of the dental analysis performed on a Khoesan skeletal sample representing the late 19th and early 20th century Cape Colony in southern Africa. Skeletal material from two European collections (Vienna and Paris) was selected to compile a total sample of 116 specimens. Dental pathology frequencies were calculated for caries (28.4%), antemortem tooth loss (37.9%), periapical abscesses (29.3%), periodontal disease (26.7%), calculus (44.0%) and impacted canines (4.3%). Attrition scores indicated that the group under study had an average rate of attrition compared to other southern African populations. Frequency and intensity data were compared to several other samples from both the pre-contact and contact phases by means of chi-squared analysis. The outcome of the study suggested that the group under study was most likely in a state of transition between a diet and lifestyle of hunting-and-gathering and agriculture. Results were also consistent with those of groups from a low socio-economic status.

[Mór Károlyi was born 150 years ago]. / 150 ÉVE SZÜLETETT KÁROLYI MÓR.

Dr. Mór Károlyi was born in Szentes (County Csongrád, South-East Hungary) in 1865 in a Jewish family. His original name was Móric Czukkermann--the name was changed to Mór Károlyi in 1883. Károlyi got his medical degree in 1889 at the Budapest Medical University. During his studies he was the student of József Arkövy, the founder of the Hungarian scientific dentistry. Károlyi later practised in Vienna from 1893 up to 1938. His main lines were the etiology of the diseases of the parodontal area and prosthetics. Thanks to his special method of treating traumatic parodontal diseases he made an international reputation. In 1932 he won the membership of the International Academy of Odontology (Buenos Aires). One of his etiological discoveries is still called Károlyi-effect in international terminology. After the so called Anschluss, Károlyi had to escape from Vienna. In 1938 he settled back to his native city, Szentes. In 1944, being a Jew he was first internated, then deported to Theresienstadt. He died a few days after the liberation of the camp, 17th May 1945.

Historical insights in the progression and development of gingivectomy.

During the last three centuries since the identification of periodontal disease, various non-surgical and surgical forms of periodontal therapy have been described and documented in the dental literature. The main objective of periodontal treatment has been initially the removal of "diseased gingiva," either through the implementation of various surgical techniques, or through the application of caustic drugs or pressing patches. Although the differences in the suggested techniques created significant controversies between some of the greatest clinicians and researchers in dentistry, their main goals remained the rehabilitation of the oral cavity and the therapeutic management of the problems sustained from periodontal disease.