Temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis in human ancient skeletal remains from Late Holocene in southern Patagonia

Abstract

Low prevalence of caries, high stages of dental attrition (DA), and moderate frequency of antemortem tooth loss (AMTL) were found in skeletal remains of hunter‐gatherers from southern Patagonia. However, osteoarthritis (OA) of temporomandibular joint (TMJ), possible related to oral health, has not been studied so far. The influence of hunter‐gatherer living conditions on the development of TMJ‐OA was scarcely evaluated, and analyses of degenerative changes of TMJ in nonindustrialized groups are needed. The aim of this study is to analyse the association between degenerative changes of TMJ, oral disease, and palaeodietary patterns in skeletal remains of hunter‐gatherers from southern Patagonia. Degenerative changes of TMJ were recorded in 25 adult skulls of both sexes. Eburnation of articular eminence and/or mandibular condyle was considered as pathognomonic of OA. In the absence of eburnation, OA was diagnosed when two or more of the following lesions were identified: (a) new bone formation on joint surface, (b) new bone formation of joint margins, (c) porosity on the joint surface, and (d) modification of joint contour. In the studied skeletons, it was found that OA prevalence is 28%, similar to those observed in other hunter‐gatherer populations elsewhere. TMJ‐OA is mostly related to AMTL and older age, but no relation was found with caries and DA, sex, region, dietary patterns, and chronology. However, consumption of terrestrial resources in the diet cannot be discarded as a related factor. Further studies are necessary to explore the morphological variability of the mandible and its possible relationship with different diets and dental pathologies in these populations.

Holocene Khoesan health: a biocultural analysis of cranial pathology and trauma

“…Each had varying levels of AMTL, reflecting the observation that joint wear is associated with tooth loss and attrition (Hodges, ). Suby and Giberto () suggest that dietary patterns may be an aetiological factor for TMJD. Complete wear of the condylar facet in the TMJ was observed in two coastal individuals from pre‐2000 bp .…”

Comparison of occlusal dental wear and degenerative alterations of the temporomandibular joint in two medieval populations from Central Europe

“…This may suggest that, despite the increasing number of AMTLs in older adults, the overall molar support of the studied individuals may have been well preserved and therefore may not have contributed significantly to any overload of the TMJs in our sample. Nevertheless, a correlation between TMJ-OA and AMTL has been reported in other contexts (e.g., Suby & Giberto, 2019).…”

“…The prevalence of TMJ-OA in ancient skeletal remains ranges between 2.4% and 38.5%, as reported by . Although studies investigating TMJs in preindustrial populations focused mostly on Aboriginal populations (Richards, 1990;Webb, 1995), research on prehistoric hunter-gatherer populations has also been conducted (Stone et al, 2020;Suby & Giberto, 2019;Tanaka et al, 2004;Visser, 1994). Because the hardness and toughness of food can impact the development of TMJ-OA (Chen et al, 2013;Komino & Shiga, 2017;Liu et al, 2014;Peyron et al, 1997;Tran et al, 2023), it is important to identify the types of food ingested by the populations under study.…”

Paleopathological Research in Southern Patagonia: An Approach to Understanding Stress and Disease in Hunter-Gatherer Populations

“…In an earlier paper, Castro and Aspillaga (1991) show a similar prevalence of osteoarthritis of TMJ in Kaweshkar (17%) and Selk'nam (14%) individuals from the mission on Isla Dawson. In a more recent study, Suby and Giberto (2018) analyzed 25 skulls from pre- and postcontact periods from Southern Patagonia following current criteria (Rando and Waldron 2012). The authors found a frequency of 28% of slight osteoarthritis of TMJ (Figure 3), mostly related to AMTL and older age.…”