Dental health evaluation of ancient Philadelphia society (Karaman, Turkey)

Abstract

A total of 53 human skeleton dated to 3rd Century CE were found in the Philadelphia rock tomb excavations and 422 permanent teeth from these findings were used in this study. This study on oral and dental health comprises evaluations of dental wear, caries, abscess, dental calculus and antemortem tooth loss. Caries is found to be 6,9 % in 422 teeth, wear is calculated to be 2,82 on average, the frequency of abscess is 1,67 %, calculus frequency is 18,72% and graded to be 1,96 based on Buikstra and Ubelaker’s scale. The rate for antemortem tooth loss is 16,6 %. Based on these results, the caries, abscess, calculus and antemortem tooth loss are compared with some other populations from the Roman Era. According to this comparison, the Philadelphia skeletons are found to be healthier regarding oral and dental health except for the frequency of antemortem tooth loss. Furthermore, the results point out a diet which is based on protein intake rather than a carbohydrate rich diet. This is a preliminary study on Philadelphia society and ongoing excavations will reveal more details about the society in the near future.