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59,000-Year-Old Neanderthal Molar Shows Evidence of Stone Drill Dental Treatment
A molar discovered in Chagyrskaya Cave, Siberia, bears marks of intentional drilling to treat severe caries, according to a study published in PLOS One. The find pushes back the earliest known dental intervention by more than 40,000 years and is the first such evidence outside Homo sapiens.
May 13, 3:07 PM·2m read1 source
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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.
