Prevalence of carious and non-carious cervical lesions in archaeological populations from North America and Europe

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to report the prevalence of carious and non-carious cervical lesions in the teeth of five archaeological populations. A secondary purpose was to report the association between age, gender, diet, tooth wear, carious cervical lesions, and non-carious cervical lesions. Materials and Methods: One hundred and four archaeological specimens from subjects originating from five distinct geographical areas were examined to detect the presence of carious cervical lesions, non-carious cervical lesions, and tooth wear. Data were tabulated and statistics used to describe prevalence and non-causal associations. Results: Carious cervical lesions were prevalent in all populations except among Labradoreans, while non-carious cervical lesions were found predominantly in Mexicans. The authors found no association between non-carious cervical lesions and age, gender, and diet in any of the populations. Tooth wear was noted in all populations, but the highest rates of severe wear were noted among the Labradoreans and New Mexicans. Age was associated with tooth wear in all populations except Ohioans. There was no association between tooth wear and non-carious cervical lesions. Conclusions: The prevalence of carious cervical lesions among the five archaeological populations studied ranged from 0 to 65%. Non-carious cervical lesions were not prevalent among these populations, being found predominantly in Mexicans (26%). CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Historically, carious and non-carious cervical lesions can be found in individuals with no access to modern oral hygiene tools. The findings of this study are not conclusive, however, as the associations described are not causal.