Atypical dental wear in an enslaved individual from Lagos, Portugal

Abstract

This paper discusses the atypical wear observed on the anterior teeth of an enslaved African adult female (age-at-death: 47.62 ± 3.36 years), exhumed from Valle da Gafaria, Lagos, Portugal (15th-17th centuries). All teeth of this individual (n = 31) were macroscopically observed to score dental wear and caries. A more accentuated wear was observed on the lingual surface of the maxillary anterior teeth, with dentine exposure until the cement-enamel junction. Although many individuals of this osteoarchaeological assemblage present intentional dental modifications, the location and characteristics of these wear facets are not compatible with such cultural practices. Interdental attrition caused by overbite was also excluded due to the inexistence of corresponding lingual or labial wear on any lower teeth. Also, the relatively unpolished appearance of the wear facets does not favor the hypothesis of perimolysis due to regurgitation. Instead, the observed wear pattern is consistent with lingual surface attrition of the maxillary anterior teeth (LSAMAT). Regarding the aetiology, in this particular case, two possible causes are suggested: extra-masticatory behaviors and/or consumption of abrasive carbohydrates, namely, a starchy plant. Although this individual presents several carious lesions, which favor the hypothesis of a carbohydrate-rich diet, these processes can act simultaneously. Therefore, it would be unwise to favor one aetiological factor over the other.