View All Items
(1 - 2 of 2)
- Title
- PREVALENCE OF DENTAL PATHOLOGY IN A JUVENILE POPULATION FROM THE ANCIENT MAYA SITE OF ALTUN HA.
- Creator
-
Lefebvre, Lindsey D., Schultz, John, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The present research seeks to assesses the presence and prevalence of two distinct dental pathologies: linear enamel hypoplasia and caries in an ancient Maya juvenile subsample from Altun Ha, Belize spanning the Preclassic (ca. 600 B.C.) through the Terminal Classic (ca. 900 A.D.) periods. Teeth offer a remarkable wealth of information about the human experience in the past. Developmental and post-eruption pathology can provide insight into cultural and evolutionary processes by illuminating...
Show moreThe present research seeks to assesses the presence and prevalence of two distinct dental pathologies: linear enamel hypoplasia and caries in an ancient Maya juvenile subsample from Altun Ha, Belize spanning the Preclassic (ca. 600 B.C.) through the Terminal Classic (ca. 900 A.D.) periods. Teeth offer a remarkable wealth of information about the human experience in the past. Developmental and post-eruption pathology can provide insight into cultural and evolutionary processes by illuminating social and biological factors such as diet, weaning, illness, and overall health that manifest in observable changes to the composition of teeth. In addition, growth and developmental stages of juveniles provide an ideal framework in which to qualify paleopathological research. From a biological standpoint, high ante-mortem resistance to physiological stress and post-mortem preservation make teeth ideal for analyses of pathology in archaeological contexts. For the analysis of the Altun Ha juvenile subsample, a cohort approach is used in the presentation and discussion of results. Discrete pathologies are analyzed based on age cohorts, individual, tooth type, tooth surface location, and archaeological time period. The results indicate an increase in prevalence of pathology concurrent with increasing dental age as well as a predisposition to pathology among specific tooth types and locations on the crown surface and within the dental arcade as well as temporal shifts in pathology prevalence. These analyses demonstrate the importance of assessing juveniles within the archaeological record with emphasis on the transitory developmental stages experienced by children.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFH2000383, ucf:45882
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000383
- Title
- Patterns in Dental Health and Disease at the Archaeological Site of Kuelap in Chachapoyas, Peru.
- Creator
-
Tran, Vu, Toyne, J. Marla, Schultz, John, Dupras, Tosha, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Social organization influences individual well-being and overall community health, which may lead to health disparities that manifest in teeth. The research in this thesis explores social variability by analyzing patterns in dental disease at the archaeological site of Kuelap in Chachapoyas, Peru. The ancient Chachapoya (AD 900-1535) were a complex society but the nature of that complexity is not well understood based on traditional archaeological correlates. Since burials at Kuelap lack...
Show moreSocial organization influences individual well-being and overall community health, which may lead to health disparities that manifest in teeth. The research in this thesis explores social variability by analyzing patterns in dental disease at the archaeological site of Kuelap in Chachapoyas, Peru. The ancient Chachapoya (AD 900-1535) were a complex society but the nature of that complexity is not well understood based on traditional archaeological correlates. Since burials at Kuelap lack grave goods that are often used to discriminate variation in social status or identity, bioarchaeological dental proxies were tested. The dental remains of 106 individuals (7 subadults, 54 adult males, and 46 adult females) from five different types of mortuary contexts were analyzed using a two stage methodological approach. Three pathological indicators (caries, antemortem tooth loss, and calculus) were examined to explore cultural influences of diet and the external environment on human biology. While no significant differences exist in any of the conditions among individuals from five diverse mortuary contexts, there were statistically significant differences between males and females. These results indicate that there was a lack of explicit health disparities and hierarchical ranking (social inequality) at Kuelap. Instead, bioarchaeological analysis suggests that there is social variability with gendered differences in oral health. This thesis presents the first analysis of dental pathology from Kuelap and furthers knowledge of ancient dental health patterns and social variability in both the Chachapoya and larger Andean region. Overall, this research broadens anthropological understanding of the interconnectedness among health, social variability and complexity in ancient societies.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- Identifier
- CFE0006192, ucf:51090
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006192
