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A single molar can provide new clues about the knowledge and skills of the ancient Maya in dentistry. A study published (source in Spanish) in the journal ‘Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports’ analyses a lower first permanent molar with a jadeite inlay on its surface and concludes that the tooth was modified while the patient was still alive.
The tooth belongs to a pre-Hispanic osteological collection at the Popol Vuh Museum of Universidad Francisco Marroquín in Guatemala. The researchers found a well-defined cavity at the point where the four main cusps of the molar meet, in which the jade piece was firmly fixed with a cementing material.
“The cavity is perfect,” explains Elma Vega-Lizama, a dental anthropologist at the Autonomous University of Yucatán in Mexico and co-author of the study, in comments reported (source in Spanish) by ‘National Geographic’. “It is really a good procedure: well executed, clean.”
The location of the inlay is particularly significant. Dental modifications documented among the ancient Maya were concentrated mainly in the anterior teeth, such as incisors and canines, and generally had an aesthetic purpose or were linked to social identity. In this case, however, it is a posterior molar, so the researchers rule out the idea that its function was purely ornamental.
To determine whether the intervention had been carried out before or after death, the researchers used cone-beam computed tomography. The images revealed extensive dystrophic calcification of the pulp chamber, a biological response indicating that the tooth was alive when the inlay was placed. In addition, the pulp chamber was well preserved and showed features consistent with a young adult individual.
The authors point out in the article that this find is “the first documented case of an occlusal inlay in a posterior tooth among the ancient Maya”, that is, the first documented case of an inlay in the occlusal surface of a posterior tooth among the ancient Maya. The discovery broadens current interpretations of this civilisation’s dental knowledge.
The mystery of its purpose
The exact purpose of the intervention, however, remains unclear. The researchers, from Universidad Francisco Marroquín, the Autonomous University of Yucatán and the Popol Vuh Museum, believe it may have had a therapeutic or palliative purpose, although they also leave open the possibility that it formed part of an unusual symbolic practice. The article stresses that it cannot be proved with certainty whether the inlay was used to fill a carious lesion.
The case is particularly striking because, despite the high prevalence of caries and abscesses among Mesoamerican populations, there is little evidence of interventions intended to relieve these conditions. The researchers also recall that the ancient Maya had considerable experience with dental drilling techniques. According to the study, “less than 4% of the drilling reached the pulp chamber”.
The tooth analysed is therefore an exceptional case in Maya dental archaeology. For the authors, it shows that dental modifications in this civilisation were more varied than previously thought and underlines the need to continue investigating the more unusual dental interventions of ancient Mesoamerica.