Severe Plane-Form Enamel Hypoplasia in a Dentition from Roman Britain

Abstract

Enamel defects can provide insight into the life histories of past individuals and populations, including information on a wide range of disturbances during childhood. This study investigates a particularly severe case of plane-form enamel hypoplasia from a Roman site in Gloucester, UK. Dentine protrudes above the occlusal enamel of upper central incisors, both upper canines, the lower left canine, lower right central incisor, and all four first molars. Given the morphology and location of these defects, along with the developmental timing of the affected teeth, such factors as molar-incisor hypomineralization, amelogenesis imperfecta, and congenital syphilis can likely be ruled out. The defects resulted from a nonspecific but severe physiological disturbance during the second year of life. Severe plane-form defects of this kind, where enamel formation has completely ceased, are extremely rare in premodern populations, and this example is one of the earliest reported cases. It has been suggested that these defects generally occur only in individuals that survived a life-threatening illness, which would explain the scarcity in the archaeological record, i.e., the afflicted individual would not have lived long enough for the defects to manifest. Comparisons with clinical examples and pathogen DNA analysis may provide further insight into the etiology of these defects.