Dental caries in South African fossil hominins

Ian Towle*, Joel Irish, Isabella De Groote, Christianne Fernee, Carolina Loch

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

11 Citations (Scopus)
130 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Once considered rare in fossil hominins, caries has recently been reported in several hominin species, requiring a new assessment of this condition during human evolution. Caries prevalence and location on the teeth of South African fossil hominins were observed and compared with published data from other hominin samples. Teeth were viewed macroscopically, with lesion position and severity noted and described. For all South African fossil hominin specimens studied to date, a total of 10 carious teeth (14 lesions), including 4 described for the first time here, have been observed. These carious teeth were found in a minimum of seven individuals, including five Paranthropus robustus, one early Homo, and one Homo naledi. All 14 lesions affected posterior teeth. The results suggest cariogenic biofilms and foods may have been present in the oral environment of a wide variety of hominins. Caries prevalence in studied fossil hominins is similar to those in pre-agricultural human groups, in which 1–5% of teeth are typically affected.
Original languageEnglish
Article number8705
JournalSouth African Journal of Science
Volume117
Issue number3-4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 29 Mar 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We thank L. Berger and B. Zipfel from the University of the Witwatersrand, and S. Potze from the Ditsong Museum of South Africa for access to their collections. CT scans were provided by the Ditsong Museum, and we thank M. Skinner for kindly providing technical assistance. Research was supported by a studentship to I.T. from Liverpool John Moores University, and a Sir Thomas Kay Sidey Postdoctoral fellowship from the University of Otago.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Academy of Science of South Africa. All rights reserved.

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