The Neolithic mummy Otzi - world's oldest wet mummy - had astoundingly large number of oral diseases and dental problems that are still widespread today, a new study has found.
For the first time, researchers from the Centre for Evolutionary Medicine at the University of Zurich and colleagues have been able to provide evidence of periodontitis, tooth decay and accident-related dental damage in the ice mummy that dates back to around 3300 BC.
The latest scientific findings provide interesting information on the dietary patterns of the Neolithic Iceman and on the evolution of medically significant oral pathologies.
Professor Frank Ruhli, head of the study, said Otzi suffered from heavy dental abrasions, had several carious lesions - some severe - and had mechanical trauma to one of his front teeth which was probably due to an accident.
Although research has been underway on this important mummy for over 20 years now, the teeth had scarcely been examined.
Dentist Roger Seiler from the Centre for Evolutionary Medicine at the University of Zurich has examined Otzi's teeth based on the latest computer tomography data.
"The loss of the periodontium has always been a very common disease, as the discovery of Stone Age skulls and the examination of Egyptian mummies has shown. Otzi allows us an especially good insight into such an early stage of this disease," Seiler said in a statement.
The three-dimensional computer tomography reconstructions give an insight into the oral cavity of the Iceman and show how severely he was suffering from advanced periodontitis.
Particularly in the area of the rear molars, Seiler found loss of the periodontal supporting tissue that almost extended to the tip of the root.
While Otzi is scarcely likely to have cleaned his teeth, his abrasive diet contributed significantly to a process of self-cleaning.
Nowadays periodontitis is connected to cardiovascular diseases, researchers said.
