Pathology

Geography

Periodontitis

Alveolar crest

Archaeology

Context (archaeology)

Medicine

Pathological

Orthodontics

Interdental consonant

Dental alveolus

Dentistry

International Journal of Paleopathology

The Broken Hill (Kabwe) 1 cranium exhibits dental caries on ten teeth, multiple periapical lesions, periodontal disease, severe anterior dental wear, and hypercementosis, conditions all little-studied in Middle Pleistocene humans and making Broken Hill 1 of great value to discussions of the antiquity of oral pathological conditions. These individual pathological conditions, however, have never previously been described in detail; the focus has been on diagnosing an overarching syndrome connecting the temporal and oral lesions. This case study examines the individual dentoalveolar pathological conditions to provide data for cross-comparison using ordinal scores (e.g., carious lesions, interdental septum condition), descriptions (e.g., hypercementosis, periapical lesions), and continuous measurements (cemento-enamel junction to alveolar crest distances). Differential diagnoses are explored including age-related hyposalivation, dental wear, lead poisoning, and diet, and are discussed within the context of past p...

The oral pathological conditions of the Broken Hill (Kabwe) 1 cranium