No one enjoys having a dental cavity. They hurt and can be very costly to deal with. Our species has been trying to fix our teeth for at least 14,000 years, and painful dental problems even plagued Swedish vikings. More than 2,300 juvenile and adult teeth found near a church in Sweden dating back to the 10th through 12th Century CE had evidence of dental problems. They had evidence of tooth decay known as caries and even oral diseases that some tried to treat. The findings are described in a study published December 13 in PLOS ONE.
[Related: This new synthetic tooth enamel is even harder than the real thing.]
“I believe both dental caries and other dental diseases are very relatable,” Carolina Bertilsson, a study co-author and dentist at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, tells PopSci. “It’s hard to imagine the suffering these individuals with decay, tooth extractions, and infections must have gone through, without any of the solutions we use today in modern dentistry.”
The teeth were uncovered during a 2005 excavation of the remains of a Christian church in present-day Skara, Sweden. The nearby cemetery contained thousands of Viking graves, and a team from the University of Gothenburg examined teeth belonging to 171 individuals. The team used radiography to capture detailed images of the teeth, which were also physically examined by a team of dentists and osteoarchaeologists.
While not one of the juveniles had evidence of dental caries, 60 percent of the adult remains showed signs of tooth decay. The team also observed traces of tooth infection and signs that some teeth had been lost before death. Most of the individuals likely had tooth decay that could have been severe enough to cause pain, and there were signs of attempted dental treatments. One individual even showed signs of filed front teeth similar to those seen in other Swedish Viking remains.
“It looks like the Vikings tried to file their teeth to ease the pain from infected teeth,” says Bertilsson.
Proper: Teeth that were filed down recovered from the excavation site. Left: Evidence that the individual picked at their teeth, likely to keep them clean. CREDIT: Carolina Bertilsson.
Caries are caused by a buildup of bacteria near the teeth from not cleaning them regularly and consuming food high in starches and sugar. The diet during the late Viking Age mainly consisted of local produce, meat, fish, dairy, porridge, and breads made from rye, wheat, and barley. They drank beer, mead, and milk since water sources were likely not safe to drink.
“Sweet flavors came from honey, malt, and fruits and berries naturally grown in Scandinavia,” says Bertilsson.
The coarseness of the food and high intake of starch combined with the lack of dental care partly explain the tooth decay. » …
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