Introducing the Bioarchaeology of Care

Tilley, Lorna

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-18860-7_1

Cited by 12 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…A case of an early Homo (dating back to 1.77 million years ago) who had lost all but one tooth several years before his death also makes us wonder about his alternative subsistence strategies, which may have included receiving help from other individuals (Lordkipanidze et al, 2005). On the whole, there is a growing body of evidence that these ancient humans experienced some degree of consciousness as well as emotions, exploring their surrounding natural environment and seeking help and solutions to their daily problems (Dettwyler, 1991; Humphrey, 1998; Cross, 1999; Tarlow, 2000; Spikins et al, 2010; Apicella et al, 2012; Hardy et al, 2012, 2013; Tilley, 2015). …”

Section: The Birth Of Anxiety (And Dentistry)mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Odyssey of Dental Anxiety: From Prehistory to the Present. A Narrative Review

Facco

Zanette

2017

Front. Psychol.

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Dental anxiety (DA) can be considered as a universal phenomenon with a high prevalence worldwide; DA and pain are also the main causes for medical emergencies in the dental office, so their prevention is an essential part of patient safety and overall quality of care. Being DA and its consequences closely related to the fight-or-flight reaction, it seems reasonable to argue that the odyssey of DA began way back in the distant past, and has since probably evolved in parallel with the development of fight-or-flight reactions, implicit memory and knowledge, and ultimately consciousness. Basic emotions are related to survival functions in an inseparable psychosomatic unity that enable an immediate response to critical situations rather than generating knowledge, which is why many anxious patients are unaware of the cause of their anxiety. Archeological findings suggest that humans have been surprisingly skillful and knowledgeable since prehistory. Neanderthals used medicinal plants; and relics of dental tools bear witness to a kind of Neolithic proto-dentistry. In the two millennia BC, Egyptian and Greek physicians used both plants (such as papaver somniferum) and incubation (a forerunner of modern hypnosis, e.g., in the sleep temples dedicated to Asclepius) in the attempt to provide some form of therapy and painless surgery, whereas modern scientific medicine strongly understated the role of subjectivity and mind-body approaches until recently. DA has a wide range of causes and its management is far from being a matter of identifying the ideal sedative drug. A patient's proper management must include assessing his/her dental anxiety, ensuring good communications, and providing information (iatrosedation), effective local anesthesia, hypnosis, and/or a wise use of sedative drugs where necessary. Any weak link in this chain can cause avoidable suffering, mistrust, and emergencies, as well as having lifelong psychological consequences. Iatrosedation and hypnosis are no less relevant than drugs and should be considered as primary tools for the management of DA. Unlike pharmacological sedation, they allow to help patients cope with the dental procedure and also overcome their anxiety: achieving the latter may enable them to face future dental care autonomously, whereas pharmacological sedation can only afford a transient respite.

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Section: The Birth Of Anxiety (And Dentistry)mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Odyssey of Dental Anxiety: From Prehistory to the Present. A Narrative Review

Facco

Zanette

2017

Front. Psychol.

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“…Furthermore, various studies have established links between antemortem tooth loss (AMTL) and cultural behaviors (Costa, 1980a;Lukacs, 2007). The prevalence of AMTL increases from early to late Upper Paleolithic populations of Homo sapiens, a pattern that is typically interpreted as an effect of culturally mediated increase in lifespan (Oztunc et al, 2006;Lacy, 2014a), and also discussed in the context of "biology of care" (Lordkipanidze et al, 2005;Tilley, 2012). While these studies indicate positive effects of culture ("cultural buffering") on oral health, it has to be kept in mind that culturally-mediated behaviors can also result in its deterioration.…”

Section: Congenital Diseasesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative analysis of dentognathic pathologies in the Dmanisi mandibles

Margvelashvili

Zollikofer

Lordkipanidze

et al. 2016

American J Phys Anthropol

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Objectives: Due to the scarcity of the fossil record, in-vivo changes in the dentognathic system of early Homo are typically documented at the level of individual fossil specimens, and it remains difficult to draw population-level inferences about dietary habits, diet-related activities and lifestyle from individual patterns of dentognathic alterations. The Plio-Pleistocene hominin sample from Dmanisi (Georgia), dated to 1.77 million years ago, offers a unique opportunity to study in-vivo changes in the dentognathic system of individuals belonging to a single paleodeme of early Homo. Materials and Methods: We analyze dentognathic pathologies in the Dmanisi sample, and in comparative samples of modern Australian and Greenlander hunter-gatherer populations, applying clinical protocols of dentognathic diagnostics. Results: The Dmanisi hominins exhibit a similarly wide diversity and similar incidence of dentognathic pathologies as the modern human hunter-gatherer population samples investigated here. Dmanisi differs from the modern population samples in several respects: At young age tooth wear is already advanced, and pathologies are more prevalent. At old age, hypercementosis is substantial. Discussion: Results indicate that dentognathic pathologies and disease trajectories are largely similar in early Homo and modern humans, but that the disease load was higher in early Homo, probably as an effect of higher overall stress on the dentognathic system. Key words: aging, tooth wear, caries, periodontitisThe Plio-Pleistocene site of Dmanisi has yielded a large sample of hominin fossils associated with abundant and diverse faunal remains and Mode I stone artifacts (Gabunia et al. 2001;Ferring et al. 2011;Mgeladze et al. 2011). Occupation of the site began shortly after 1.85 Ma. The fossil hominin finds are dated to 1.77 Ma (Ferring et al. 2011). Dmanisi thus represents the earliest evidence of Homo outside of Africa. The well-preserved cranial, mandibular and postcranial remains of five individuals are unique in offering detailed insights into patterns of morphological variation within a paleodeme of early Homo, and into patterns of growth and aging Margvelashvili et al. 2013;Zollikofer et al. 2014). The craniomandibular morphology of the Dmanisi paleodeme has been described previously (Gabunia and Vekua 1995;Gabunia et al. 2000;Gabunia et al. 2001;Gabounia et al. 2002;Lordkipanidze et al. 2005;Lordkipanidze et al. 2006;Rightmire et al. 2006;Rightmire and Lordkipanidze 2010;Lordkipanidze et al. 2013;Margvelashvili et al. 2013). Cranial and mandibular morphological variation within the Dmanisi paleodeme is wide, but well within the range of variation seen in modern humans populations, and in populations of chimpanzee subspecies (Skinner et al. 2006;Lordkipanidze et al. 2013;Margvelashvili et al. 2013;Zollikofer et al. 2014). Variation in size, shape and dentognathic features among the Dmanisi mandibles has received special attention and has been studied to address questions of phylogeny, taxonomy, sexual dimorphism, die...

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“…In instances of rare pathologies that can be differentially diagnosed, with a clinical literature on related quality of life issues available, analyses of individual health and the care required for their maintenance is sometimes possible (Tilley, ; Tilley and Schrenck, ). Tilley () observed that “looking after those who are unable to look after themselves is a behavior that defines what it is to be human” (p. 39). Understanding ancient healthcare fosters added depth to our appreciation of past people's knowledge of medical resources, sophistication in their application and possible generational sharing of information about healing, community values, craft specialization, agency, and a glimpse into how the society defined illness.…”

Section: Commingling Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An “Index of Care” program developed by Tilley and Cameron () involves a four‐stage assessment process from diagnosis through interpretation of “care‐recipient identity” (Tilley, , p. 40). It presumes a perceived need for care, thus in a bioarchaeological context marked impairment is required, and the nuance of frailty measures of morbidly are not possible.…”

Section: Commingling Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bioarchaeology in the ancient Near East: Challenges and future directions for the southern Levant

Sheridan

2017

American J Phys Anthropol

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The synthesis of biological anthropology, archaeology, and social theory provides a bioarchaeological model to reconstruct nuanced aspects of demography, diet, disease, death, daily activities, and biodistance, even in the absence of discrete burials. Numerous skeletal assemblages in the southern Levant are composed of mixed and fragmented bones resulting from generational use of cemeteries, mass burial, and additional communal burial practices. Others become commingled due to taphonomic processes such as flooding, geological events, or human mediated mechanisms like looting, improper excavation, and poor curation. Such collections require one to ask broader questions of human adaptability, exercise a holistic approach, use broad demographic categories, and remain cognizant of the limitations posed by fragmentation. Expanded research questions and ethical considerations, the use of centralized databases and understudied collections, as well as the application of social media, citizen science, and crowd sourcing provide new tools for bioarchaeological analyses of the many commingled ancient Near Eastern collections in the southern Levant.

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Introducing the Bioarchaeology of Care

Cited by 12 publications

References 5 publications

The Odyssey of Dental Anxiety: From Prehistory to the Present. A Narrative Review

The Odyssey of Dental Anxiety: From Prehistory to the Present. A Narrative Review

Comparative analysis of dentognathic pathologies in the Dmanisi mandibles

Bioarchaeology in the ancient Near East: Challenges and future directions for the southern Levant

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