Dental conditions of Egyptian heads: radiological and direct examination

Abstract

A study was carried out the dental conditions of 72 mummified heads of ancient Egypt preserved by the Department of Anthropological Sciences of the University of Turin. From the research, made by means of radiological exams, it emerged that young people have excellent dental arches, while people of over 30 years of age show poor dental conditions in that they suffered from caries, abscesses and apical osteolysis caused by the complications of occlusal wear. Such considerable wear is attributed to hard food, often polluted by abrasive particles, and to the long time needed for daily chewing. The hypothesis of extended chewing is also supported by the wear of the interproximal contacts and by the remodelling of the mandibular condyles.