![]() ![]() carinthiacus in the framework of hominid metabolism. Stefan, we draw inferences about the seasonal availability of fruits and honey, and discuss the potential diet of D. For comparison, we developed a database of caries type frequencies for a large population of wild chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes verus, n = 311), known as the most frugivorous extant great apes. carinthiacus, supposedly rich in sugar-rich fruits. Its primary formation on the intact enamel surface indicates a highly cariogenic diet of D. It is the earliest documented caries disease in hominids dating back to the Early Sarmatian (Serravallian, late Middle Miocene) at 12.5 Ma. Stefan (Lavanttal Basin, Carinthia, Austria). Here we describe a considerably older caries lesion from the Middle Miocene stem-hominine Dryopithecus carinthiacus ( Fig 1) from St. Rare records of fossil hominid dental caries are restricted to hominins from the Pleistocene epoch. Although scarce in the fossil record, its occurrence can also give rare insights into the dietary preferences of extinct taxa. This model receives further validation by the identification of soft-tissue preservation, interpreted as fossilized white adipose cells, in the articulated hominid skeleton of Oreopithecus bamboli from Italy.ĭental caries is a prevalent disease in current societies, reflecting the oral health and dietary conditions of an individual. Our conclusions challenge the model of a step-wise increase in dietary quality during hominid evolution and support the uricase hypothesis, which discusses the hominid autapomorphy of a fructose-based fat accumulation for periods of starvation. This finding corresponds with the associated palynological record, which infers a habitat with nearly year-round supply (9–10 months/year) of high quality foods (>carbohydrates < fibers). Its advanced primary caries, initiating on the intact enamel surface, indicates a frequent intake of highly cariogenic sugar-rich fruits, which likely exceeds the frugivory of extant chimpanzees. carinthiacus reveals features known from severe dental caries in humans: (1) Cavitation with steep walls and smooth surface (2) Reparative dentine at the roof of the pulp chamber (3) Sclerotic dentine below the cavitation (4) Association with dental calculus and (5) Unilateral usage of the healthy right tooth row. Its lesion is compared with a dataset of 311 wild chimpanzees, indicating morphological and etiological differences in caries formation between both species. ![]() Using micro computed tomography (μCT) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) we provide a detailed analysis and characterization of the individuals’ caries type. Potential food sources are identified on associated palynological data, which allow conclusions about food quality, sugar availability and the hominid metabolism during the Middle Miocene. This study investigates the caries lesion in the 12.5 Ma old type specimen of Dryopithecus carinthiacus Mottl 1957 (Primates, Hominidae) from St. The formation of dental caries is mainly caused by dietary habits and therefore, may contain information for dietary reconstructions of fossil hominids.
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