Medieval peasants had 'better teeth'

From Ananova: Medieval peasants had 'better teeth'.

Medieval peasants had better teeth than people today because they spent longer chewing their food, say researchers.

Professor Wolfgang Arnold, from the University of Witten/Herdecke, studied the remains of people buried between the 5th and 9th centuries.

He found they had better teeth than their descendants, even though they never brushed their teeth.

He said: "The portrayal of the typical person from the middle ages as having rotten teeth is wrong.

"There was sweet food items available then, but despite this and the fact there were no toothbrushes, not a single body showed signs of tooth decay. [continue]

Related:
Medieval teeth 'better than Baldrick's' - BBC
The medical world of medieval monks - BBC
Medieval and Renaissance dental hygiene, mouthwashes - gallowglass.org

Posted on August 16, 2005 06:53 AM. Filed under: history & archaeology.