Oral Health and Dental Attrition of Human Remains from Tianli Cemetery, Xinzheng (ca. 8th-5th Century B.C.)

Summary

Oral health (caries, antemortem tooth loss (AMTL), enamel hypoplasia, and dental attrition were assessed in human remains from Tianli cemetery, Xinzheng, Central China (Zhou Dynasty, ca. 8th-5th Century B.C.). This study explores diet and eating habits in a population practicing dry land agriculture. Males exhibited greater frequencies of enamel hypoplasia than females. In contrast females suffered more from caries, AMTL, and tooth wear than males. Heavy wear on the upper anterior teeth is remarkable when compared to other regions and other subsistence strategies in pre-Qin China. Higher frequencies of oral health markers for females than males suggest that diet followed gender division, with more cereals such as millet in the diet of females. Stable isotope analyses from other human skeletal samples in Xinzheng suggest males might have had more access to meat than females. Furthermore, the much higher frequencies of enamel hypoplasia, cribra orbitalia, and porotic hyperostosis in males suggest that males generally were exposed to more stress than females. In addition, heavy wear on the anterior teeth at Tianli, especially in males may be related to teeth being reduced in strength by enamel hypoplasia, crops machined roughly, and/or frequent use of teeth as a third hand.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Bio-cultural Approach to the Osteoarchaeological Inquiries in China   •
• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16488