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Dental Indicators Suggest Health Improvement Associated with Increased Food Diversity in Modern Age Spain

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Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the health impact of the introduction of new food resources into the Spanish diet in the early Modern Age. For this purpose we compare the pathological conditions of teeth from skeletal remains dating from the Middle (Mediaeval) Ages (11th–15th century) with others of the Modern era (16th–18th century), sampled from historic cemeteries of north Iberia (Spain). Dental alterations like abscesses, periodontitis, calculus and dental wear, indicate oral hygiene and habits, and linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) is considered as an indicator of nutritional status. Significant decreases of LEH occurred in Modern Age individuals in comparison to Mediaeval values, suggesting the positive influence of increased diversity of nutritional resources mainly due to intercontinental (America–Europe) trade.

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Acknowledgments

Grant sponsorship: This study was supported by the Contract EL01/98, funded by the Consejería de Educación y Cultura de la Junta de Castilla y León (Spain).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Biología de Organismos y Sistemas, Universidad de Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain

    Belen Lopez

  2. Departamento de Biologia Funcional, Universidad de Oviedo, C/Julian Claveria s/n, 33006, Oviedo, Spain

    Eva Garcia-Vazquez

  3. Departamento de Ciencias de la Educación, Universidad de Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain

    Eduardo Dopico

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  1. Belen Lopez
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  2. Eva Garcia-Vazquez
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  3. Eduardo Dopico
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Correspondence to Eva Garcia-Vazquez.

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Lopez, B., Garcia-Vazquez, E. & Dopico, E. Dental Indicators Suggest Health Improvement Associated with Increased Food Diversity in Modern Age Spain. Hum Ecol 39, 527–534 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-011-9406-y

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