The purpose of the study was to investigate the differences in the optical properties of samples of intact, abraded, and reduced enamel. The optical properties of medieval enamel were compared to the results obtained from studies of enamel of contemporary populations in order to investigate the structural changes of enamel due to the effect of diagenesis (destructive changes, which affect interred bone). Reduced enamel (artificially removed superficial layer of the enamel) was used as a comparative sample for the study of abraded enamel. The dental material was obtained from the medieval cemetery of Stara Torina located in northern Serbia. Micro-morphological analysis was conducted using a polarized light microscope. Based on the results, we can demonstrate that 1) the birefringence value of the mature medieval enamel sample ranges from 0.3 to 0.4, which means that medieval enamel has retained its optical properties, although some changes in the inorganic components were found; 2) the matrure intact enamel and abraded enamel have a negative optical sign, which is the same as that found in immature enamel; and 3) the mature reduced enamel changes its optical sign due to the phenomena of bending of the surface enamel prisms from 0.7 mm to 0.9 mm. This change of the optical sign results from a rise in temperature during the reduction process and from a diffusion of "non-oriented" molecules. The increased pressure on the enamel during the reduction process causes the bending of the surface part of the enamel prisms. The presence of the pigmentation and carious changes in the abraded enamel and ground enamel also indicated the process of diffusion of different molecules, which occurred while the enamel was buried in the soil, as well as during the lifetime of the individual.
This study investigated the frequency, type, and degree of abrasion on permanent teeth from 694 skulls from archaeological sites dating from the beginning of the first century AD to the beginning of the twentieth century in the former Yugoslavia. The conclusions are: 1) 100% of the specimens had dental abrasion; 2) the Roman Age and Middle Ages teeth had a horizontal-vertical type of abrasion, while New Age teeth had a predominantly horizontal type of abrasion; and 3) Roman Age and the Middle Ages groups had the most severe loss of dental hard tissue.
Bone fractures frequently occur in elderly persons even after low-energy trauma. Given that the young individuals would not sustain a fracture under such conditions, it is clear that the main cause of easy bone fracturing originates from the structural and compositional characteristics of the aged bone itself. Observing bone, from macro-to nano-level, shows us the complexity of bone hierarchical organization and reveals various determinants of bone strength. In particular, recent studies focusing on bone at nano-scale revealed distinctive features of the bone matrix that could provide additional explanation for the increased bone fragility in advanced age, independent from age-related effects at other levels of bone hierarchical structure.
Tooth color and the correlation of the compostion of dental enamel with color were investigated in samples of teeth from two medieval Serb cemeteries. Differences in the composition of apatite crystals in the dental enamel of the two samples were found. Color ranges of teeth from the two samples differ in hues and chromas. This result suggests that enamel composition may have an influence on the color of teeth. The prevalence of chlorapatite in enamel causes tooth color to be closer to red and of higher chroma than teeth whose enamel consists of hydroxylapatite. No evidenc indicated that soil ingredients were incorporated into the dental enamel of either sample.
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