Abstract

PANDIANI, Cynthia Daniela et al. Evaluation of periodontitis in hunter-gatherers from southern Patagonia during the late Holocene (CA. 3500-200 YEARS BP). Rev Arg Antrop Biol [online]. 2022, vol.24, n.1, 045.  Epub Jan 01, 2022. ISSN 1514-7991.  http://dx.doi.org/10.24215/18536387e045.

Periodontal disease is an infection affecting the supporting tissues of teeth. Although it is one of the most frequent infectious processes in the oral cavity, few studies have analyzed this variable in hunter-gatherer skeletal remains from Southern Patagonia and, consequently, its impact on these populations remains unknown. Thus, the aim of this work is to analyze if the human populations of Southern Patagonia presented high levels of periodontitis, considered as the latest and most destructive stage of periodontal disease, on the basis of the study of a sample of human remains from the Late Holocene from this region. Twenty-five skeletons of adult individuals of both sexes were analyzed, recording the presence and degree of expression of periodontitis in each individual. Prevalence in the sample was calculated according to sex, age, region of origin, and chronology. Additionally, the possible association of periodontitis with other oral pathologies (i.e., caries, antemortem tooth loss and periapical lesions), with dental wear and with the postcranial proliferative periosteal reactions recorded in the sample, interpreted as evidence of inflammatory processes, was explored. A prevalence of 36% (9/25) of individuals with periodontitis was observed, more frequent among females (3/6; 50%), middle adults (4/10; 40%) and those from southern Tierra del Fuego (41.6%) and Santa Cruz/Magallanes (40%). Moderated and low correlations were recorded between periodontitis and both the different oral health variables and the proliferative periosteal reactions. The results indicate deterioration in oral health derived from periodontitis, a possible indicator of poor hygiene.

Keywords : periodontal disease; periodontal tissues; buccal hygiene; human remains; paleopathology.

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