Dental health in adults and subadults from the 16th-century plague cemetery of Alghero (Sardinia, Italy)

Abstract Objective The aim of this study is to examine a set of dental health indicators, including caries, periodontal disease, abscesses, ante-mortem tooth loss, calculus, and tooth wear of a 16th-century population from the city of Alghero, Sardinia (Italy), in order to evaluate the state of dental health and the diet. Design The cemetery is referable to the plague outbreak that ravaged the city in 1582-1583. A total of 160 individuals (81 adults and 79 subadults) were suitable for dental examination. Results The oral conditions of the urban population of Alghero are characterised by high frequency of carious lesions, periodontal disease, ante mortem tooth loss, and calculus, but a low prevalence of abscesses and moderate tooth wear are recorded. In general, no statistically significant sexual differences are observed, suggesting a uniform scenario for diet access and oral health. The subadult subsample shows moderate rates of caries and is affected by calculus. The results suggest that the diet was rich in soft and refined food, with a prevalence of carbohydrates and cariogenic aliments; the effects of the diet are associated with a lack of oral hygiene. Conclusions The patterns of dental health observed in the Alghero population fit with the data observed in other Modern Age samples, reflecting increased prevalence of dentoalveolar diseases resulting from a less abrasive diet and an increase in carbohydrate consumption, as documented during the transition from the Middle Ages to the Modern period.