Dental Pathology, Wear, and Diet in a Hunting and Gathering Forest-Dwelling Group

Described are observations on Batak foods,tooth use, oral hygiene, and resulting wear and oralpathology in dental casts of 29 Batak ranging from 15 to 49years of age. Commonly consumed foods are roughly 80percent plant, and 20 percent animal products. Cookingis common. Eating includes one or two main daily mealswith occasional snacking. Cariogenic commerciallymanufacturedflour and sugar are rarely available.Oral hygiene involves “finger-brushing” of anteriorteeth with fine sand. The practice is more common infemales than in males. Caries are rare in both sexes as isantemortem tooth loss. Tooth chipping is more commonin males. Periodontal disease is generally slight andnearly equal in the sexes. Tooth wear is relatively slightbut strongly age-related as in many other populations

Environmental health · Food habits · Obesity · Oral health · Oral hygiene · Pathology · Snacking · Tooth loss · Tooth wear · Cleft Lip and Palate Research · Dentistry · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · Indigenous Studies and Ecology · Medicine

• Dentition of the Batak people of Palawan Island, the Philippines

  Open Access•Christy G Turner, James F Eder•Bioarchaeology of Southeast Asia•2006

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