Preliminary analysis of regional differences in dental pathology of early modern commoners in Japan

Abstract

The family register system used by the Tokugawa shogunate limited the ability of commoners to move freely from one location to another. It is thought that such restrictions on movement resulted in regional differences in lifestyle, including diet, arising from regional environmental differences. It is also likely that regional differences in lifestyle resulted in regional differences in health status, including oral health. In the present study, we examined differences in the dental pathology of commoners from two early modern settlements in Japan-the Kyoumachi site in Kokura, Fukuoka Prefecture and the Miwanoyama site in Nagareyama, Chiba Prefecture-as a preliminary analysis of regional differences in the dental pathology of early modern Japanese. We found that the prevalence of root caries and antemortem tooth loss (AMTL) were significantly higher in Miwanoyama commoners than in Kyoumachi commoners. In addition, the prevalence of severe enamel hypoplasia (EHP) in Miwanoyama commoners was significantly higher than that in Kyoumachi commoners, and the dental attrition of the Miwanoyama commoners was more severe than that of the Kyoumachi commoners. The present results therefore reveal considerable differences in dental pathology between commoners who lived in different areas. The high prevalence of root caries and AMTL in Miwanoyama suggests that periodontal disease spread among the commoners at this site, and the high prevalence of severe EHP and dental attrition in Miwanoyama suggests that the dietary status of the Miwanoyama commoners was inferior to that of the Kyoumachi commoners. We conclude that pathological differences in oral health status between the Miwanoyama and Kyoumachi commoners was most likely influenced by differences in lifestyle, including diet, arising from regional environmental differences.

Sex differences in linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) in early modern Japan

“…Yamamoto (1988) found the highest prevalence of LEH in the permanent teeth of early modern skeletal remains in the lower canines, followed by the upper central incisors and lower lateral incisors. In our previous study of early modern commoners in urban and rural areas (Oyamada et al, 2010), we found the highest prevalence of LEH in the lower canines.…”

Sex difference in oral disease of millet agriculturalists from the Take-vatan lineage of the recent Bunun tribe of Taiwan

“…Turner, 1979;Powell, 1985;Lukacs, 1989;Walker and Erlandson, 1986;Walker and Hewlett, 1990;Larsen, 1997;Pechenkina et al, 2002;Temple and Larsen, 2007;Oyamada et al, 2010), the relatively high degree of dental caries prevalence among the Bunun assemblage is parallel to the expectation based on their subsistence pattern, which is focused on foxtail millet (Miyamoto, 1985;Governor-General of Taiwan, 1986;Lu, 1990). There are two cultivars of foxtail millet: non-glutinous millet (uruchi-awa) and glutinous millet (mochi-awa).…”

“…Turner, 1979;Powell, 1985;Lukacs, 1989;Walker and Erlandson, 1986;Walker and Hewlett, 1990;Larsen, 1997;Pechenkina et al, 2002;Temple and Larsen, 2007;Oyamada et al, 2010). Calculations by Turner (1979) concerning average dental caries prevalence on the basis of a worldwide population study show a 1.3% rate of caries in a foraging economy, a 4.8% rate in a mixed economy, and a 10.4% rate in an agricultural economy.…”

Variations in the oral health of millet agriculturalists in the northern ‘Great Wall’ region of China from the Middle Neolithic to the Sixteen Kingdoms period

“…Oral pathology is a method utilized by biological anthropologists worldwide to assess diet and food-preparation techniques in past societies because these activities are strongly related to subsistence patterns (Turner, 1979;Powell, 1985;Lukacs, 1989;Walker and Erlandson, 1986;Walker and Hewlett, 1990;Larsen, 1997;Temple and Larsen, 2007;Oyamada et al, 2010). Lukacs (1989) proposed a 'dental pathology profile' (DPP) to standardize the recording and reporting of dental pathological conditions for comparative research.…”