59,000-Year-Old Neanderthal Molar Shows Evidence of Stone Drill Dental Treatment

A 59,000-year-old Neanderthal molar discovered in Chagyrskaya Cave, Siberia, shows clear signs of deliberate dental drilling to treat infection, according to a study published in the journal PLOS One. The tooth has a deep hole in the centre extending into the pulp cavity.

Computed microtomography revealed changes in dentin mineralization consistent with severe caries, while areas of demineralisation were identified where remnants of carious damage were preserved.

Dr. Alisa Zubova said the damage documented on the Neanderthal tooth from Chagyrskaya Cave points not only to intentional pulp removal but also to antemortem wear that could only have developed if the individual kept using the tooth while alive. Toothpick grooves are present along the side of the 59,000-year-old Neanderthal tooth.

Experiments on three modern human teeth showed that a hole of the same shape and microscopic grooves can be created by drilling with a stone point similar to tools found in Chagyrskaya Cave. Dr. Lydia Zotkina conducted experimental manual drilling on a modern human tooth and two Homo sapiens teeth from a Holocene archaeological collection.

Comparison of microscopic traces on the Neanderthal tooth with those produced experimentally revealed a clear match. Drilling a carious lesion using a sharp, thin stone tool is entirely effective, permitting the rapid removal of damaged dental tissue. The molar from Chagyrskaya Cave received physical alterations to treat infection.

Neanderthals used stone drills to treat cavities nearly 60,000 years ago. Dr. Alisa Zubova stated that the procedure would have hurt but it would also have alleviated the pain of a tooth infection by removing the damaged part of the tooth.

She added that these modifications provide evidence that Neanderthals had the capacity to identify the source of pain, to determine how to treat it, to apply the manual dexterity needed for an efficient operation, and to endure painful treatment to alleviate future discomfort.

“This is the first time such behaviour has been demonstrated outside of Homo sapiens, and it is the oldest example of such behaviour by more than 40,000 years,” Dr.

The dental treatment evidence is more than 40,000 years earlier than previously thought. com reported that the archaeological discoveries also reveal that Neanderthals used toothpicks to remove food from their teeth and might also have used medicinal plants, though the Russian research team says the extent of their medical capabilities is unclear.

Neanderthals arrived in the Altai region 60,000 to 70,000 years ago during a migration from Central and Eastern Europe.

They inhabited the Altai region until at least 40,000 years ago. Professor Ksenia Kolobova, head of excavations at Chagyrskaya Cave, said the Neanderthals from Chagyrskaya Cave are very closely related to the bearers of the Micoquian industry who lived in the Caucasus and Crimea.

She added that Altai became a new and suitable home for them thanks to its biological diversity, climate similar to that of Europe, abundant raw materials for stone tool production, and their usual prey of wild bison and horses.