Projects per year
Abstract
Dental calculus is a mineralized plaque biofilm formed by microbiota of the oral microbiome. Until recently, the vast research potential of dental calculus for archaeological study was not fully appreciated and it was often discarded. It is now recognized that dental calculus entombs and preserves valuable microfossils and biomolecules within its matrix. While microscopic and bimolecular analysis of calculus is destructive, judicious sampling of relatively small quantities of material can provide unique information on ancient health and diet. Additionally, dental calculus is not classified as human tissue, but as an ectopic growth, and in some cases may provide an alternative approach to the destructive analysis of human skeletal remains. We present a case study recovering proteins, DNA and microscopic debris from Roman Age individuals to demonstrate the important insights into diet, health and disease that can be obtained from even minute quantities of dental calculus.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Shallow Pasts, Endless Horiozons: Sustainability & Archaeology |
| Subtitle of host publication | Proceedings of the 48th Annual Chacmool Archaeology Conference |
| Editors | Julien Favreau, Robert Patalano |
| Pages | 74-81 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 16 Feb 2017 |
Bibliographical note
© 2017 The Chacmool Archaeological Association of the University of CalgaryProjects
- 1 Finished
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C2D2 research 2a - By the Skin of your Teeth: Investigating Chronic Periodontal Disease through History
Speller, C. F. (Principal investigator), Brockhurst, M. (Co-investigator), Moir, J. (Co-investigator), Hofreiter, M. S. (Co-investigator), Thomas, G. H. (Co-investigator), Collins, M. J. (Co-investigator), Young, P. (Co-investigator) & Fiddyment, S. (Co-investigator)
1/02/13 → 31/01/14
Project: Other project › Other internal award