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Proceedings of the National Academy of... Feb 2023It is axiomatic that knowledge of the diets of extinct hominin species is central to any understanding of their ecology and our evolution. The importance of diet in the...
It is axiomatic that knowledge of the diets of extinct hominin species is central to any understanding of their ecology and our evolution. The importance of diet in the paleontological realm has led to the employment of multiple approaches in its elucidation. Some of these have deep historical roots, while others are dependent upon more recent technical and methodological advances. Historically, studies of tooth size, shape, and structure have been the gold standard for reconstructing diet. They focus on species-level adaptations, and as such, they can set theoretical brackets for dietary capabilities within the context of specific evolutionary moments. Other methods (e.g., analyses of dental calculus, biogeochemistry, and dental microwear) have only been developed within the past few decades, but are now beginning to yield evidence of the actual foods consumed by individuals represented by fossil remains. Here we begin by looking at these more "direct" forms of evidence of diet before showing that, when used in conjunction with other techniques, these "multi-proxy" approaches can raise questions about traditional interpretations of early hominin diets and change the nature of paleobiological interpretations.
Topics: Humans; Animals; Hominidae; Diet; Ecology; Food; Adaptation, Physiological; Fossils
PubMed: 36745809
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2201421120 -
British Dental Journal Oct 2022This paper reviews why doctors rarely refer their diabetic patients for a dental opinion and suggests strategies to teach them the importance of controlling periodontal... (Review)
Review
This paper reviews why doctors rarely refer their diabetic patients for a dental opinion and suggests strategies to teach them the importance of controlling periodontal disease as part of a system of joint care. A pro forma to share results and define diabetic risks for doctors, dentists and patients has been developed. Periodontal risks could be better defined if the community periodontal index of treatment needs score of 2 for calculus is divided into 2 for supra-gingival and 2* for sub-gingival types.
Topics: Diabetes Mellitus; Humans; Periodontal Diseases; Periodontal Index
PubMed: 36241800
DOI: 10.1038/s41415-022-5029-5 -
Monographs in Oral Science 2021The goal of modern periodontal therapy, both during the initial stages and during maintenance, is to create biologically acceptable tooth surfaces through sub- and... (Review)
Review
The goal of modern periodontal therapy, both during the initial stages and during maintenance, is to create biologically acceptable tooth surfaces through sub- and supragingival cleaning, which enables binding of the connective tissue to the greatest extent possible. In past centuries, the focus of periodontal treatment was on the removal of the supposed cause of periodontal disease, the supra- and supragingival calculus and "infected" root cementum. The findings on the importance of biofilm
1 (plaque) and the endogenous responses to biofilm metabolism have shifted the therapeutic focus to elimination of the biofilm. The importance of avoiding injury to the hard and soft dental tissue is nowadays of upmost importance. For classical scaling and root planing to remove mineralized deposits and "infected" cementum, only hand instruments were available in the past. The regular, long-term use of these tools is associated with changes in the hard and soft tooth tissues, and with pain and sensitivity experienced by the patient during and after treatment. Modern root-surface debridement primarily uses ultrasound systems to remove hard mineralized deposits. For biofilm management, air polishing devices with low-abrasive powders are increasingly gaining acceptance. With this new technology, biofilm management can now be performed much more effectively and efficiently, using materials more sparingly; this also causes less pain and discomfort for patients during and after treatment, and less fatigue for practitioners. The modern systems allow gentle, optimal biofilm management, whereas the traditional hand instruments (curettes, scalers) and classic rotating instruments used for polishing do not. Current knowledge suggests that these instruments are not best suited for biofilm management.Topics: Biofilms; Dental Plaque; Humans; Periodontal Diseases; Reference Standards; Root Planing
PubMed: 33427229
DOI: 10.1159/000510187 -
Journal of Comparative Pathology May 2021Histopathological changes in tooth structures in dogs with calculus have not been described. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of various...
Histopathological changes in tooth structures in dogs with calculus have not been described. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of various histopathological changes in the dentine of teeth that had been surgically extracted from dogs with calculus. Data including breed, sex, age, reason for tooth extraction and dental history were obtained for each animal. A total of 158 teeth (45 incisors, 31 canines, 35 premolars and 47 molars) with calculus were extracted from 74 dogs of various ages and breeds. The teeth were decalcified, processed in paraffin wax and stained with haematoxylin and eosin for histopathological analysis. Of the 158 analysed teeth, 71 had dentinal changes, including 45 with external resorption cavities, 11 with osteodentine, six with internal resorption cavities, four with tertiary dentine, four with dentinal degeneration or fragmentation, and one with predentine degeneration or fragmentation. Canine teeth were the least commonly affected. Areas of dentinal degeneration or fragmentation unrelated to resorption cavities were only seen in the incisor and molar teeth. Dentinal changes and their frequencies were similar among the incisor, premolar and molar teeth. The presence or extension of dental calculus was not associated with the type or frequency of dentinal changes.
Topics: Animals; Dental Calculus; Dentin; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Tooth
PubMed: 34119235
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2021.03.004 -
BMC Veterinary Research Aug 2020Dogs' saliva is a complex mixture of inorganic and organic constituents, rich in proteins. Therefore, knowing the saliva composition of these animals is extremely...
BACKGROUND
Dogs' saliva is a complex mixture of inorganic and organic constituents, rich in proteins. Therefore, knowing the saliva composition of these animals is extremely important to identify the presence of proteins that may be involved in physiological and pathological mechanisms of their oral cavity. The present study aimed to characterize the proteomic profile of saliva from dogs with and without dental calculus.
RESULTS
Saliva samples were collected from 20 dogs. Before the collection, a visual clinical examination was performed and 8 subjects (40%) did not present any signs of dental calculus, while 12 (60%) presented dental calculus. After saliva collection, the samples were submitted to protein quantification (mBCA), and then they were prepared for analysis by nLC-ESI-MS/MS. A total of 658 unique proteins were identified, of which 225 were specific to dogs without dental calculus, 300 were specific to dogs with dental calculus, and 133 were common to all subjects. These proteins presented functions including transportation, immune response, structural, enzymatic regulation, signal transduction, transcription, metabolism, and some proteins perform functions as yet unknown. Several salivary proteins in dogs with dental calculus differed from those found in the group without dental calculus. Among the abundant proteins detected in periodontal affected cases, can be highlighting calcium-sensing receptor and transforming growth factor beta. Enrichment analysis reveled the presence of Rho GTPases signaling pathway.
CONCLUSIONS
This research identified salivary proteins, that should be further investigated as potencial biomarkers of chronic periodontits with dental calculus formation in dogs.
Topics: Animals; Dental Calculus; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Female; Male; Periodontitis; Proteome; Salivary Proteins and Peptides
PubMed: 32814559
DOI: 10.1186/s12917-020-02514-0 -
Ecology and Evolution Feb 2024Plants have always represented a key element in landscape delineation. Indeed, plant diversity, whose distribution is influenced by geographic/climatic variability, has...
Plants have always represented a key element in landscape delineation. Indeed, plant diversity, whose distribution is influenced by geographic/climatic variability, has affected both environmental and human ecology. The present contribution represents a multi-proxy study focused on the detection of starch, pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs in ancient dental calculus collected from pre-historical individuals buried at La Sassa and Pila archaeological sites (Central Italy). The collected record suggested the potential use of plant taxa by the people living in Central Italy during the Copper-Middle Bronze Age and expanded the body of evidence reported by previous palynological and palaeoecological studies. The application of a microscopic approach provided information about domesticated crops and/or gathered wild plants and inferred considerations on ancient environments, water sources, and past health and diseases. Moreover, the research supplied data to define the natural resources (e.g., C-plant intake) and the social use of the space during that period. Another important aspect was the finding of plant clues referable to woody habitats, characterised by broad-leaved deciduous taxa and generally indicative of a warm-temperate climate and grassy vegetation. Other unusual records (e.g., diatoms, brachysclereids) participated in defining the prehistoric ecological framework. Thus, this work provides an overview on the potential of the human dental calculus analysis to delineate some features of the ancient plant ecology and biodiversity.
PubMed: 38405407
DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11053 -
Journal of Biophotonics Jun 2022During the treatment for periodontitis, the removal of dental calculus is essential. Previously, we have proposed the DAM algorithm for intuitive identification of the...
During the treatment for periodontitis, the removal of dental calculus is essential. Previously, we have proposed the DAM algorithm for intuitive identification of the site of lesion, enabling the non-contact assessment during the operation. Nonetheless, the delineation of dental calculus was still imperfect. To this end, here we utilized the power of polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography and evaluated the contrast called degree of polarization uniformity for dental calculus visualization. The result showed that the selected index demonstrated excellent contrast of dental calculus from other normal dental hard tissues. The proposed contrast is promising for accurate dental calculus delineation.
Topics: Algorithms; Dental Calculus; Humans; Tomography, Optical Coherence
PubMed: 35249264
DOI: 10.1002/jbio.202200011 -
American Journal of Biological... Apr 2024Ancient human dental calculus is a unique, nonrenewable biological resource encapsulating key information about the diets, lifestyles, and health conditions of past... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVES
Ancient human dental calculus is a unique, nonrenewable biological resource encapsulating key information about the diets, lifestyles, and health conditions of past individuals and populations. With compounding calls its destructive analysis, it is imperative to refine the ways in which the scientific community documents, samples, and analyzes dental calculus so as to maximize its utility to the public and scientific community.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Our research team conducted an IRB-approved survey of dental calculus researchers with diverse academic backgrounds, research foci, and analytical specializations.
RESULTS
This survey reveals variation in how metadata is collected and utilized across different subdisciplines and highlights how these differences have profound implications for dental calculus research. Moreover, the survey suggests the need for more communication between those who excavate, curate, and analyze biomolecular data from dental calculus.
DISCUSSION
Challenges in cross-disciplinary communication limit researchers' ability to effectively utilize samples in rigorous and reproducible ways. Specifically, the lack of standardized skeletal and dental metadata recording and contamination avoidance procedures hinder downstream anthropological applications, as well as the pursuit of broader paleodemographic and paleoepidemiological inquiries that rely on more complete information about the individuals sampled. To provide a path forward toward more ethical and standardized dental calculus sampling and documentation approaches, we review the current methods by which skeletal and dental metadata are recorded. We also describe trends in sampling and contamination-control approaches. Finally, we use that information to suggest new guidelines for ancient dental calculus documentation and sampling strategies that will improve research practices in the future.
Topics: Humans; Dental Calculus; Metadata; Anthropology; Communication; Documentation
PubMed: 37994571
DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24871 -
Microbial Pathogenesis Aug 2021The microbiota is a hot topic of research in medical microbiology, boosted by culturomics and metagenomics, with unanticipated knowledge outputs in physiology and... (Review)
Review
The microbiota is a hot topic of research in medical microbiology, boosted by culturomics and metagenomics, with unanticipated knowledge outputs in physiology and pathology. Knowledge of the microbiota in ancient populations may therefore be of prime interest in understanding factors shaping the coevolution of the microbiota and populations. Studies on ancient human microbiomes can help us understand how the community of microorganisms presents in the oral cavity and the gut was shaped during the evolution of our species and what environmental, social or cultural changes may have changed it. This review cumulates and summarizes the discoveries in the field of the ancient human microbiota, focusing on the remains used as samples and techniques used to handle and analyze them.
Topics: Gastrointestinal Tract; Humans; Metagenomics; Microbiota
PubMed: 34029658
DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2021.104972 -
Endocrine, Metabolic & Immune Disorders... 2024The study aimed to examine the association of obesity phenotypes with dental calculus.
AIM
The study aimed to examine the association of obesity phenotypes with dental calculus.
BACKGROUND
Obesity has been recognized as a risk factor for kidney and gallbladder stones formation and periodontitis.
OBJECTIVE
We have investigated the association between obesity, metabolic risk factors, and dental calculus, which is a sequela following periodontitis.
METHODS
This study included 5,281 military members, aged 19-45 years, without antihypertensive medications in Taiwan. Obesity was defined as body mass index ≥27.5 kg/m, and metabolic syndrome (MetS) was defined according to the modified ATP III criteria. Supragingival calculus in any teeth, except for impacted teeth and the third molar, was the outcome of interest. Multiple linear regression analysis with adjustments for age, sex, toxic substance use, brushing teeth frequency, and blood leukocyte counts, was used to determine the association of obesity with dental calculus numbers. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association between obesity with or without MetS and the presence of any dental calculus.
RESULTS
BMI was positively correlated to dental calculus numbers [β and confidence intervals (CI) = 0.023 (0.014, 0.032)]. Compared to the obesity(-)/MetS(-) group, there were dosedependent associations for the obesity(-)/MetS(+), obesity(+)/MetS(-), and obesity(+)/MetS(+) groups with the presence of any dental calculus [odds ratios (ORs): 1.08 (0.76, 1.53), 1.31 (1.08, 1.58), and 1.51 (1.20, 1.90), respectively]. Of the metabolic risk factors, abdominal obesity and hypertension were independently associated with dental calculus [ORs: 1.33 (1.13, 1.55) and 1.30 (1.11, 1.52), respectively].
CONCLUSION
This study suggests general obesity as an independent risk factor for dental calculus formation, and MetS, particularly the components of abdominal obesity, and hypertension may also increase the prevalence of dental calculus. Diet control and regular exercise might be preventive measures for the development of both obesity and dental calculus.
Topics: Humans; Young Adult; Obesity, Abdominal; Oral Health; Dental Calculus; Obesity; Metabolic Syndrome; Periodontitis; Risk Factors; Hypertension; Prevalence
PubMed: 37842899
DOI: 10.2174/0118715303245065230925060301