Dentistry in the Viking Age was more advanced than previously thought – scientists. PHOTO
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Teeth found in Viking tombs in Varnam (Sweden) testify to surprisingly developed dentistry for that time.
This is stated in a study published in the journal PLOS ONE, writes Arkeonews.
In total, scientists analyzed more than 3,293 teeth from 171 Vikings.
In 2005, during excavations in Varnham, the remains of a Christian church were discovered, next to which there was a cemetery with thousands of Viking graves dating from the 10th-12th centuries AD. This place is known for the large-scale excavations of tombs in which the skeletons and teeth of the Vikings were well preserved in favorable soil conditions, scientists note.
| Viking teeth are well preserved |
Scientists conducted clinical studies of Viking teeth using standard dental instruments under bright light. A number of X-ray studies were also carried out using a technique used in dentistry – where the patient bites down on a small square plate to obtain images of the oral cavity.
The obtained data indicate that 49% of the Viking population had one or more caries lesions. Among the teeth of adults, 13% were affected by caries, most often near the roots. However, children did not have this problem at all.
Adults lose an average of 6% of their teeth during their lifetime, excluding wisdom teeth.
Scientists have found that tooth decay, tooth infections and toothaches were common among the Viking population at Warnham. The study also found examples of trying to care for teeth in different ways.
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| ALL PHOTOS: Karolina Bertilsson |
“There are several indications that Vikings modified their teeth, used toothpicks, filed front teeth and even treated dental infections“, says dentist and research associate, as well as the author of the study, Karolina Bertilsson.
Scientists also describe one of the complex manipulations with the teeth – when the molars (the largest permanent teeth of the upper and lower jaw) were drilled from the crown of the tooth to the pulp. This was probably done in order to reduce the pressure and relieve the severe toothache caused by the infection.
“This is not like the dental treatment we do today where we drill infected teeth. The Vikings seem to have had knowledge of teeth, but we do not know whether they performed these procedures themselves or were assisted“, says Bertilsson.
At the same time, filed front teeth, mostly in men, could be a kind of “marker of identity”, scientists say.
“This research provides new insights into Viking oral health and indicates that teeth were important in the Viking culture of Warnem. The study also suggests that dentistry in the Viking Age was probably more advanced than previously thought“, concludes Bertilsson.
Read also: Traces of a mass massacre: 41 decapitated skeletons of women and children were found during excavations in China
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