Dental calculus in the industrial age: Human dental calculus in the Post-Medieval period, a case study from industrial Manchester.

ABSTRACT: The analysis of dental calculus (mineralised dental plaque) has become an increasingly important facet of bioarchaeological research. Although microscopic analysis of microdebris entrapped within dental calculus has revealed important insights into the diet, health, and environment of multiple prehistoric populations, relatively few studies have examined the contributions of this approach to more recent historical periods. In this study, we analyze dental calculus from an English Post-Medieval, middle-class urban skeletal assemblage from Manchester, England using light microscopy. We characterize all types of microremains, observing heavily damaged starch and plant material, high quantities of fungal and yeast spores, the presence of wood particles, plant (cotton) and animal (wool) fibres,

SUBMITTER: MacKenzie L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10615834 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature