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Abstract: (72 Views)
Archeology studies the remains of human skeletons obtained from ancient sites and examines the interaction between culture and biology. One of the important branches of bioarchaeology research is dental anthropology studies. Dental anthropology research is a new interdisciplinary approach in archeology that provides a better and more comprehensive understanding of the demography of past societies, the past way of life, and adaptation to the environment. Teeth found in archaeological sites play an important role in archeology and physical anthropology because teeth can show diseases related to the mouth and teeth, food patterns of past humans, and the stages of their cultural evolution. Due to the presence of many minerals, the tooth structure is considered to be the hardest and most chemically stable tissue in the human body. For this reason, they remain for a long time after the destruction of their supporting structure. Since the teeth are in direct contact with the environment inside the mouth during chewing, the study of paleopathology of ancient teeth can provide useful information about the diet and health of the deceased person during his life. In dental anthropological studies, teeth and jaws are evaluated regarding wear, decay, enamel hypoplasia, periodontal diseases, dental plaque, abscess, and tooth loss before death. The frequency of the occurrence of these oral lesions provides information for researchers about many issues, including the socio-economic conditions of the society, the care conditions of infants and children, the state of general health, nutrition, and types of food, food preparation techniques. Therefore, dental anthropology is a field of research that uses the information obtained from the teeth of skeletal populations or modern humans to solve archaeological problems and they provide an important source of information about dental diseases and the use of teeth as tools, as well as social habits such as changing the shape of artifacts. This research is based on the purpose of fundamental research and based on the method, it is descriptive-historical research and has tried to investigate the position of dental anthropology research in interdisciplinary studies by using the descriptive-historical approach. Data collection was based on library research and a review of books and articles published in anthropological research. Research on ancient dental remains as a part of archaeological data is a very important source of information for the reconstruction and research of past cultures. So, the present study intends to introduce the necessity and purpose of dental anthropology research as a non-destructive method in human remains to investigate dental diseases. In this way, a new approach to such interdisciplinary research can be provided in the aforementioned studies. Finally, based on dental anthropology studies, it is possible to reconstruct the lifestyles, behavioral patterns, and dietary habits of the ancient people.
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