Neanderthal fossil provides evidence that this hominid used toothpicks to weaken pain caused by oral diseases like swelling of gums.
Researchers of a new study found that Neanderthals used toothpicks for more than just removing food scraps from between their teeth. A study of the Cova Foradà Neanderthal fossil, reveals that this hominid used toothpicks to weaken pain caused by oral diseases like swelling of gums. This is the first documented evidence of palliative treatment of dental disease done with this tool.
Though the chronology of the fossil remains unclear, researchers have associated it with a Neanderthal Mousterian lithic industry that existed about 150,000 to 50,000 years ago.
After observing the fossil, researchers found evidence of maxillary porosity, which is caused due to alveolar bone loss and inflammation of gums. They also found a four to eight millimeters reduction in bone mass, which exposed the roots of teeth.
"This individual attempted to alleviate the discomfort caused by periodontal disease. This disease usually causes bloody and inflamed gums, so the systematic use of toothpicks could mitigate sore gums," study author Marina Lozano said.
This is not the first time researchers have found grooves created by tooth picking among Neanderthals. What makes this find interesting is the fact that this subspecies of the genus Homo used toothpicks not just for dental hygiene but also to reduce pain caused in the mouth.
"This study is a step to characterize the Neanderthals as a species with a wide range of adaptations to their environment and wide resources even in the field of palliative medicine" concluded researchers of the study.
Neanderthals are an extinct species of the genus Homo. They are closely related to modern humans and lived between 600,000 and 350,000 years ago. A comparison of the DNA of Neanderthals and Homo sapiens (humans) suggests that they diverged from a common ancestor between 350,000 and 400,000 years ago. Though not certain, it is speculated that this ancestor may be Homo heidelbergensis that originated between 800,000 and 1,300,000 years ago.
