Introduction: Teeth are an interesting material for the study of ancient populations. The aim of our study was to determine the prevalence and distribution of caries in a medieval sample of paired maxillas in a rural population in Southwest France and to compare men and women.
Materials and methods: Our sample included 58 adults, 29 men and 29 women, with dentate maxillas in good state of conservation, for a total of 1,395 teeth out of a possible 1,846 (75%). The number of caries and their localization were noted.
Results: The frequency of antemortem missing teeth was 8.67%. The prevalence of caries was 17.46% and the most frequent caries were occlusal and proximal. Second and third molars were the most frequently affected maxillary and mandibular teeth. Caries on maxillary teeth were statistically more frequent than on mandibular teeth (p<0.05). There was no significant difference between men and women (p>0.05).
Discussion: Our study showed that the frequency and the distribution of dental caries in this medieval population from southwest France were comparable to those of other European populations from the same period. The low level of caries was probably due to attrition and noncariogenic food. Differences between men and women were not significant, even though our results suggest that men were much more concerned by caries than women, especially for posterior teeth. A different diet may be the reason for this difference.