Advances in Dental Research, Vol 3, 265-271, Copyright © 1989 by International & American Associations for Dental Research
Dental enamel hypoplasias in prehistoric populations
A. H. Goodman
Recent years have witnessed an impressive increase in research on enamel
hypoplasias in archaeological populations. By reviewing a series of studies
of enamel hypoplasias at Dickson Mounds, Illinois, North America (950-1300
A.D.), a prehistoric site involved in the transition from gathering-hunting
to agriculture, this paper provides an illustration of this type of
research. The location of linear hypoplasias on labial tooth surfaces of
111 adults was studied with a thin-tipped caliper, and this location was
converted to an age at development. Most defects developed between two and
four years of developmental age. Hypoplasias increased in prevalence from
45% in the pre-agriculture group to 80% in the agricultural group (p less
than 0.01). The transition to agriculture occurred at a cost to infant and
childhood health. Defects are associated with decreased longevity.
Individuals with defects have a life expectancy of nearly ten years fewer
than those without defects, suggesting that the development of a defect
marks a significant and lasting health event. Enamel hypoplasias occur most
frequently on anterior teeth, polar teeth in developmental fields, and the
middle developmental thirds of teeth. Analysis of these data suggests that
enamel may be differentially susceptible to growth disruption and that
susceptibility varies both within and among teeth. The study of enamel
defects at Dickson provides insights into the health and nutritional
consequences of the economic change from hunting and gathering to
agriculture. More generally, with the availability of teeth from
genetically homogeneous populations, studies of enamel hypoplasias in
prehistory should provide a useful complement to research on this condition
in contemporary peoples.
