Tooth wear with an erosive component in a Mediaeval Iceland population

ObjectivesDental erosion is generally thought of as a modern phenomenon, but there is emerging evidence that the condition has always been present in the human dentition to some degree. The aim of this study was to quantitatively evaluate the severity of tooth wear observed in skeletal material from a mediaeval population of the farm at Hofstaðir, Mývatnssveit, in northeast Iceland.MethodsThe teeth were examined and tooth wear was quantified using the Smith and Knight Tooth Wear Index. All surfaces of the teeth were examined by a single trained examiner from 53 adult skulls available (24 males and 29 female). The majority of the skulls were examined at the stores of Þjóðminjasafn Íslands (The National Museum of Iceland) using good lighting and magnification.ResultsThere were a total of 1696 possible teeth and 6784 surfaces, and from this 69.5% were scored. There was a higher overall rate of wear in the mandibular dentitions and that the highest wear rates were seen on the occlusal/incisal surfaces of the 1st and 2nd molars and the premolars. For the group, and from those surfaces available for scoring, dentine was exposed on 1464 surfaces (31%). There was no evidence of cervical wear.ConclusionHigh levels of tooth wear were observed in this Icelandic assemblage and the appearance was characteristic of both chemical and physical wear.