Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Stone Age Dentists

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the old-drilling dept.

morleron writes "Scientists have found evidence in Pakistan that the Stone Age had dentists. They used flint drills to remove cavities and attempt other tooth repair. No evidence as to whether or not the patients were conscious during the procedures."

2 of 219 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Would that also mean they had fillings? by teethdood · · Score: 5, Informative

    IAAD (I AM A Dentist) Coronal tooth structure (the part that is above the gum) is composed of Enamel, Dentin, then Pulp. Enamel is very hard, not easily susceptible to decay. Dentin is softer, more sensitive, contains tubules that lead directly into the pulp. Bacteria can either secrete acids to break down dentin (most likely) or crawl their way into the pulp (less likely), causing pain, pulpitis, then necrosis. From the looks of the images, the ancient dentists drilled past the enamel into dentin. There is no mention of any attempt to fill these teeth (amalgam wasn't exactly perfected until the late 1800s, resin composites not until circa 1950s). It is not trivial to come up with a long-lasting filling material. Malleable gold comes to mind. Gold had been extensively used in dentistry dated back to I'd say 3000BC, not nearly old enough for these dentists. Most likely the recurrent decay found in those teeth resulted from plaque and bacteria making those un-filled drilled holes their home.

  2. Re:anesthesia? by kfg · · Score: 5, Informative

    Considering that this is Pakistan, I would imagine that they had supplies of Opium nearby

    Nope, sorry, but the opium poppy is an introduced species in Pakistan. Alexander gets the credit for the introduction, circa 327 BC, from "Ancient Greece, Egypt and Mesopotamia".

    It's a plant native to the Mediterranian basin.

    The first record of opium being used medicinally in India (remember that Pakistan did not exist until the last half of the 20th century) occurs circa 1200 AD and recreational use of sufficient quantity to be notable did not begin until circa 1600, "coincident" with:

    Massive cultivation of opium in India did not begin until the Portuguese, followed by the Dutch and English, began exporting it from India to China. It was the Dutch who taught the Chinese to smoke it, circa 1700.

    Opium in Asia is one of the earliest byproducts of Eurpean "colonization" of the Orient. It was entirely unknown there before the Iron Age.

    KFG