XML Feed for RxPG News   Add RxPG News Headlines to My Yahoo!   Javascript Syndication for RxPG News

Research Health World General
 
  Home
 
 Latest Research
 Cancer
 Psychiatry
 Genetics
 Surgery
 Aging
 Ophthalmology
 Gynaecology
 Neurosciences
 Pharmacology
 Cardiology
 Obstetrics
 Infectious Diseases
 Respiratory Medicine
 Pathology
 Endocrinology
 Immunology
 Nephrology
 Gastroenterology
 Biotechnology
 Radiology
 Dermatology
 Microbiology
 Haematology
 Dental
 ENT
 Environment
 Embryology
 Orthopedics
 Metabolism
 Anaethesia
 Paediatrics
 Public Health
 Urology
 Musculoskeletal
 Clinical Trials
 Physiology
 Biochemistry
 Cytology
 Traumatology
 Rheumatology
 
 Medical News
 Health
 Opinion
 Healthcare
 Professionals
 Launch
 Awards & Prizes
 
 Careers
 Medical
 Nursing
 Dental
 
 Special Topics
 Euthanasia
 Ethics
 Evolution
 Odd Medical News
 Feature
 
 World News
 Tsunami
 Epidemics
 Climate
 Business
Search

Last Updated: Aug 19th, 2006 - 22:18:38

Dental Channel
subscribe to Dental newsletter

Latest Research : Dental

   DISCUSS   |   EMAIL   |   PRINT
Dentistry in vogue 9,000 years ago in Balochistan
Apr 14, 2006, 22:23, Reviewed by: Dr. Shivani Arora

The excavation of 300 individuals was begun by a French team in the 1980s. International groups followed until 2001, when it became too dangerous to work in Balochistan.

 
Dentistry may have been practised in what is now western Pakistan as far back as 7,000 BC, say researchers who have found some Neolithic skulls with holes drilled into their molars.

According to the British journal Nature, at least nine people living in a Neolithic village in Mehrgarh, near the Bolan river in Balochistan, had holes drilled into their molars and appeared to have survived the procedure, the Daily Times said.

The findings push back the practice of dentistry by 4,000 years. The earliest known evidence of dental work was a drilled molar found in a Neolithic graveyard in Denmark dating from about 3,000 BC. The Pakistani graves are from about 7,000 BC.

The drilled molars, 11 in all, come from a sample of 300 individuals buried in graves at the Mehrgarh site, said to be the oldest Stone Age complex in the Indus River valley.

The excavation of 300 individuals was begun by a French team in the 1980s. International groups followed until 2001, when it became too dangerous to work in Balochistan.

None of the individuals with drilled teeth appear to have come from a special tomb or sanctuary, indicating that the oral care they received was available to all, says a report in the International Herald Tribune, quoting the British journal.

According to Kansas University's Prof David W. Frayer, "This is certainly the first case of drilling a person's teeth. But even more significant, this practice lasted some 1,500 years and was a tradition at this site. It wasn't just a sporadic event."

All nine of the Mehrgarh patients were adults, ranging in age from about 20 to over 40 - four men, two women and three whose sex could not be determined. Most of the dental work was done on the chewing surfaces of their molars, in both the upper and lower jaws, probably using a flint point attached to a bow that made a Stone Age version of a high-speed drill, the researchers said.
 

- Indo-Asian News Service
 

 
Subscribe to Dental Newsletter
E-mail Address:

 



Related Dental News

Common Antacids Could Help Keep Gingivitis at Bay
Tetracycline plus teeth equal gray smile
Periodontal bacteria may be linked to acute coronary syndrome (ACS)
Ultrasound may help regrow teeth
Effects of stress, depression and cortisol on periodontal disease
Roasted vegetables could cause dental erosion
Periodontal therapy may help diabetic patients improve sugar control
Archaea Identified As Possible Human Pathogen
Cimetidine Inhibits Gum Disease in Rabbits
Dentistry in vogue 9,000 years ago in Balochistan


For any corrections of factual information, to contact the editors or to send any medical news or health news press releases, use feedback form

Top of Page

 

© Copyright 2004 onwards by RxPG Medical Solutions Private Limited
Contact Us