Ancient dental calculus preserves signatures of biofilm succession and interindividual variation independent of dental pathology.

ABSTRACT: Dental calculus preserves oral microbes, enabling comparative studies of the oral microbiome and health through time. However, small sample sizes and limited dental health metadata have hindered health-focused investigations to date. Here, we investigate the relationship between tobacco pipe smoking and dental calculus microbiomes. Dental calculus from 75 individuals from the 19th century Middenbeemster skeletal collection (Netherlands) were analyzed by metagenomics. Demographic and dental health parameters were systematically recorded, including the presence/number of pipe notches. Comparative data sets from European populations before and after the introduction of tobacco were also analyzed. Calculus species profiles were compared with oral pathology to examine associations between micro

SUBMITTER: Velsko IM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9802386 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature