Archaeological finds reveal advanced Viking dentistry

The ancient Scandinavians knew how to treat toothache

Viking dentistry was surprisingly advanced and not much different from modern treatment methods — scientists came to this conclusion after studying archaeological finds.

Viking Age teeth at Varnham, Sweden reveal surprisingly advanced dentistry among the ancient Scandinavians, according to a study conducted in University of Gothenburg.

According to the website arkeonews.net, in 2005, during excavations in Varnhem (Sweden), the remains of a Christian church were discovered, next to which there was a cemetery with thousands of Viking graves dating from the 10th-12th centuries AD. The site is known for its extensive Viking and medieval excavations, including tombs where skeletons and teeth are well preserved in favorable soil conditions.

In this study, Caroline Bertilsson and her colleagues conducted clinical and radiographic studies of the dentition of people from this site. In total, the team analyzed more than 3,293 teeth from 171 people.

The teeth were clinically examined using standard dental instruments under bright light. A number of X-ray studies have also been performed using the same technique used in dentistry, where the patient bites down on a small square imaging plate in the mouth.

The results, which were published in the journal PLOS ONE, show that 49% of the Viking population had one or more tooth decay lesions. Of the adult teeth, 13% were affected by caries – often at the roots. However, in children with baby teeth – or with both baby and adult teeth – There was no caries at all.

Tooth loss was also common among adults. The adults studied lost an average of 6% of their teeth, excluding wisdom teeth, over their lifetime. The risk of tooth loss increases with age.

The findings suggest that tooth decay, dental infections and toothache were common among the Vikings of Warnham. However, the study also shows examples of attempts to take care of teeth in different ways.

“There were several signs that the Vikings modified their teeth, including evidence of using toothpicks, filing down front teeth and even treating teeth with infections,” says Caroline Bertilsson, a dentist and research assistant and first author of the study.

One of the hallmarks of more complex procedures was molars with holes filed down from the crown of the tooth to the pulp, probably to relieve pressure and relieve severe toothache due to infection.

&ldquo ;This is a very exciting sight, and not much different from the dental procedures we perform today when we drill into infected teeth. The Vikings appear to have had knowledge of teeth, but we don't know whether they performed these procedures themselves or had help.

Filled front teeth may have been a kind of identity marker. In both this and previous studies, the cases found were male. Caroline Bertilsson continues: “This research provides new insight into Viking oral hygiene and indicates that teeth were important in the Warnham Viking culture. This also suggests that Viking Age dentistry was probably more advanced than previously thought.