Modernising bioarchaeological methods, a study of ancient egyptian periodontal health

Abstract

The oral pathology profiles of ancient populations provide information about multiple elements of diet, general and oral health, and ways of life in the past. Periodontal disease, a pathology affecting both the soft and hard tissues of the mouth, is often included in the assessment of oral pathology profiles of bioarchaeological samples. The multifaceted aetiology of periodontal disease involves oral or dental trauma, systemic illness, sudden changes to nutrition or diet composition, dental practices, and the general health of the oral environment. An analysis of periodontal pathology, inherently both oral and systemic in nature, illustrates more aspects of the diet and the environmental and systemic stress affecting individuals than any other single oral pathology type. The foci of this thesis are periodontal disease assessment and analysis. The original contribution is the research, development, and trial of a rigorous and reproducible bioarchaeological methodology for the identification and recording of periodontal disease. The proposed method was developed to address a widely recognised deficiency existing in bioarchaeological periodontic research. While the methods of assessment for many forms of localised oral pathology are consistent, accurate, and easily accessible, at present there is no comprehensive and comparable assessment method for the bioarchaeological study of periodontal disease. The proposed method was trialled on an ancient Egyptian sample spanning over three thousand years with a geographical range of 1,084 kilometers along the Nile river. The aims of this thesis were to test the accuracy of the proposed method, to examine the role of periodontal disease in the oral and systemic health of the ancient Egyptian sample, and to determine the value of periodontal assessment as an element of the pathology profile of a premodern sample. The case study examined the demographic and pathological profile of two hundred thirty ancient Egyptian individuals. A thorough oral examination and an assessment of skull pathology were conducted for each individual. Both sex and age were estimated, with age group assigned by a seriated tooth wear proxy identifying young and old individuals. Periodontal assessment was carried out with both the traditional and popular CEJ-AC assessment method and with the new proposed method. Data were compared for statistical significance and assessed by category and with inter-category comparison. The original research conducted for this thesis has demonstrated that the inclusion of periodontal disease as a component of both systemic and oral health assessments contributes valuable information to the health profile of a premodern sample. The analyses of the case study sample's periodontal profile illustrated the significance of systemic and environmental stress in the general and oral health of ancient Egyptians in the later Periods of Pharaonic rule. The results of the case study supported the established histories of medical practice, diet, and general health in ancient Egypt and identified new areas of exploration for bioarchaeological research. Lastly, this research has demonstrated that the new periodontal assessment method is significantly more accurate than the other assessment systems currently in use, including the CEJ-AC method. Show more