The caries attacks seem to have only started in adulthood. But in the end, almost half of the population in Viking-era Varnhem got holes in their teeth.
That’s one of the conclusions since researchers at the University of Gothenburg examined over 3,000 old teeth from the town in Västgötland.
— I’ve done surveys like this before too, so it’s probably become a bit of a routine. But it is of course dizzying to think that these are people who lived a thousand years ago, says Carolina Bertilsson.
The researchers also found traces of the use of toothpicks and grinding of front teeth.
Signs that there was dentistry in the Viking Age
However, two of the individuals examined also each had a tooth filed down, presumably to treat an infection.
According to Carolina Bertilsson, it is a sign that the art of dentistry in the Viking Age may have been more sophisticated than previously thought.
— In the past, I have seen that teeth have been lost and that it healed again afterwards. Then you probably pulled out the teeth that hurt, she says.
— But here they have still tried to keep the tooth. It is a very exciting find.