A comparative study of oral health in three Late Bronze Age populations with different subsistence practices in North China

This study reveals that 1) overall, the worst oral health status was observed in the agriculturalists (Chenjiagou) when comparing with those of the mixed hunter-fisher-gatherers (Houtaomuga) and pastoralists (Jinggouzi); 2) dental pathological lesions (uncommon in subadults) were found to increase significantly with age in all three studied populations; 3) females were found to develop more severe dental lesions than males in all three sites, especially for the molars. This study demonstrates that high carbohydra dietary intake can significantly worsen oral health, which is consistent with observations from many other parts of the world. More studies are needed to investigate the causes of sex differences in severity of dental lesions between agriculturalists and non-agriculturalists.