THE STUDY OF TOOTH DISEASES IN MAMMALS DISCOVERED ON FRAGMENTS BELONGING TO PRECUCUTENIAN CULTURE IN MOLDOVA

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1 Analele Ştiinţifice ale Universităţii AL. I. CUZA Iaşi, s. Biologie animală, Tom LII, 2006 THE STUDY OF TOOTH DISEASES IN MAMMALS DISCOVERED ON FRAGMENTS BELONGING TO PRECUCUTENIAN CULTURE IN MOLDOVA ANCA COROLIUC 1 and SERGIU HAIMOVICI 2 1 Str. Crişului, 10, Iaşi, anca_coroliuc@yahoo.com; 2 Al. I. Cuza University Iaşi, Faculty of Biology, Bd. Carol I 20A, Iaşi Abstract. Jaw fragments with a similar pathology to the present day mammals have been identified. These diseases have a low frequency for the archaeozoological material studied by us. No therapeutically human intervention has been noticed. The presence of these diseases is mentioned both for wild and domesticated species. Keywords: Mammals, Archaeozoology, Periodontal Diseases Rezumat. Studiul unor afecţiuni dentare la mamifere, descoperite pe fragmente aparţinând Culturii Precucuteni în Moldova. S-au identificat fragmente de maxilare cu patologie comună şi astăzi mamiferelor. Se constată o frecvenţă joasă a acestor afecţiuni în cadrul materialului arheozoologic studiat de noi. Nu s-a observat nici o intervenţie umană cu rol terapeutic. Se semnalează prezenţa acestor boli nu numai la speciile sălbatice ci şi la cele domestice. Cuvinte cheie: mamifere, arheozoologue, afecţiuni periodontale Introduction The study of pathological aspects of the archaeozoological material is of great importance as it may offer information on the origin, age and frequency of some diseases with domesticated and wild species; it can also get evidence of some possible primitive techniques of animal care and the beginnings of the veterinary medicine. Material and Methods In this paper, about fragments have been determined by study, eight jaw and mandible fragments with different dental diseases, belonging to five different species: three domesticated species (Ovis aries and Capra hircus, Bos taurus, Canis familiaris) and two wild species (Capreolus capreolus, Cervus elaphus). The fragments were photographed and X- rayed in order to see the details of the pathologies. Results and Discussion Both inflammatory diseases (most of them) and irregularities and incongruities in tooth wear have been found. A. Inflammatory affections - parodontosis Of all inflammatory affections, parodontosis is the most evidentiated in the analysed fragments. Parodontosis is a well known inflammatory disease in the human and animal pathology (Haimovici & Hrisanidi, 1969; Haimovici & Haimovici, 1971). For the human population we may say that three of four individuals will suffer of a kind of periodontal disease during lifetime (Miyasaki-Ching, 2001). The periodontal disease is not specific; the term is used in order to describe a variety of tooth supporting tissue affections. The main factor in periodontal disease is the dental plaque, a white brown sticky substance, made of bacteria and bacterial degrading compounds; it can be considered a local factor, malocclusion (deficient occlusion) (Memet et al., 1989). The

2 Anca Coroliuc & Sergiu Haimovici genetically, nutritional, hormonal and metabolic factors can influence the evolution of the periodontal disease, but they have not been defined as primary etiological factors by the American Academy of Periodontology (Mitchell & Mitchell, 1999). We can distinguish the following stages in the disease evolution: 1. gum disease a gum inflammation consisting in changes in colour, form or external aspect, and the presence of bleeding. 2. incipient periodontitis (superficial periodontitis) characterized through a progressive gum inflammation to the more profound periodontal tissues as well as to bone cells, with a tiny loss of bone. Usually there is little loss of conjunctive tissue and alveolar bone (alveolar ridge). 3. medium periodontitis consists of progressive destruction of the periodontal structures and an obvious destruction of the bony support; the gum retreat lets uncovered the dental body; the periosteum is falling, the dental surface becomes irregular, rough; around the dental root may appear a granulated tissue and the teeth become mobile. 4. advanced periodontitis (degenerative) characterized through an accentuated progression of the periodontitis with major loss in the alveolar bony support; the upper part of the dental root is denuding, the mobile teeth are falling and the inflammatory process may cause some complications like dental fistulae or osteomielitis. Unfortunately the early stages of the periodontal disease cannot be evidentiated on our material, as only the soft, rotten tissues are affected. The jaw fragments affected by parandontosis in different stages of evolution are represented in our material as following. a. A jaw fragment from Bos taurus, with M1 and M 2, from Mândrişca site; according to its dental wear the slaughtering age is about 7-10 years (Fig. 1); a periodontal bag may be seen in front of M 2 (Figs. 2-3). Figure 1. Figure 2. Figure 3. b. A mandible fragment from Ovis aries/capra hircus (P 2 -M 2 ), broken before M 3, discovered in Tg. Frumos site; we can see the radicular bifurcation (Figs. 4; 6), indicating a periodontal retreat (under the bifurcation the bony liza appeared); this fragment comes from an individual whose slaughtering age was 5-7 years (Fig. 5)

3 Analele Ştiinţifice ale Universităţii AL. I. CUZA Iaşi, s. Biologie animală, Tom LII, 2006 Figure 4. Figure 5. Figure 6. c. A mandible fragments of Ovis aries/capra hircus, coming also from Târgu Frumos site, on which the retraction and resorption process may be observed especially at P3 and M1 (Fig. 7); a third degree abrasion (Fig. 8) may be seen at P3 (complete wear of enamel with dentine fully denudation on the level of occlusion surface); this abrasion caused an open lesion while the animal was alive; the presence of tartar proves the animal s inability to eat (because of the pain); we believe that it is tartar and not a postmortem deposit if we judge its position, adherence and colour; the fragment belongs to an individual slaughtered at 4-5 years (Fig. 9). Figure 7. Figure 8. Figure 9. d. A mandible of Canis familiaris, affected by paradontosis; the radicular bifurcation is present especially for P2 and P3 (Figs. 10; 11; 13); at M1 level we see a chiastic lesion with open pulp chamber (Fig. 12). Figure 10. Figure 11. Figure 12. Figure 13. e. A mandible fragment of Capreolus capreolus, discovered in Târgu Frumos site, with an apical periodontitis; this affection is characterized through a circumscribed bony lesion, following a peri-apical infection (Fig. 14). The X-ray examination

4 Anca Coroliuc & Sergiu Haimovici evidentiates dental granuloma on apex levels at P3 and M1. According to the dente wear we assume that the fragment belongs to a rather mature individual (Fig. 15). Figure 14. Figure 15. f. A jaw fragment (M1-M3) of Cervus elaphus, coming from Andrieşeni site, with an early stage of periodontal affection on M1 (Fig. 16); the low dental wear proves that the fragment comes from a relatively young individual (Fig. 17). Figure 17. Figure 16. B. In congruency and dente wear irregularities In one mandible fragment of Ovis aries/capra hircus (Fig. 18) we see a dental in congruency at P3-M1 level, as a consequence of malocclusion, a primary factor in paradontosis. Figure 18. Figure

5 Analele Ştiinţifice ale Universităţii AL. I. CUZA Iaşi, s. Biologie animală, Tom LII, 2006 Wear irregularities (Fig. 19) have been noticed for a M 3 from Capreolus capreolus, where the third column still is higher than the other two and obliquely worn; this fragment belonged to mature individual. Conclusions We noticed that both domesticated and wild mammal species are affected by these diseases, so they are not characteristic for humans and their domestic animals only. The presence of these diseases in wild species proves that not only the stress and an inadequate food style are the etiologic factors for these diseases but that they are common factors for the periodontal mammals. The frequency of these diseases is rather low, lower than for the same species nowadays. The frequency of the fragments affected is higher for Ovis aries/capra hircus than for the other domesticated species and we believe that the etiology of this disease has a wider range than for other species as at our latitude. Ovis aries and Capra hircus were brought to our territory as domesticated animals; their wild ancestors were never present in our territory. So, another trigger factor is the food containing some other, harder plants than those in the original biotope. No therapeutical human intervention was noticed. Translated by Monica Popa References Haimovici, A., Haimovici, S., Sur la presence de parodontopathies marginales sur des restes subfossiles de mammiferes des stations pre- et protohistoriques du territoire de la Roumanie. Bull. Group. Int. Rech. Sc. Stomat., 14: Haimovici, S., Hrisanidi, Şt., Studiul unor afecţiuni osteo-dentare ale resturilor subfosile de mamifere descoperite prin săpături pe teritoriul României, în staţiuni aparţinând unor culture şi civilizaţii din epoca metalelor. Analele Ştiinţifice ale Universităţii Al. I. Cuza, secţiunea II, XV/1: Miyasaki-Ching, C. M., Elemente clinice de stomatologie, Editura All, Bucureşti. Mitchell, D. A., Mitchell, L., Ghid clinic de stomatologie, Editura All, Bucureşti. Memet, G., Radu, G., Stanciu, E., Mic dicţionar de stomatologie, Editura Ştiinţifică şi Enciclopedică, Bucureşti

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