Dental developmental defects in a subadult from 16th-19th centuries Bucharest, Romania

Abstract

This study examines the dental developmental defects seen in an individual recovered from the Saint Sava cemetery from Bucharest, Romania, dated to the late medieval/early modern period. The remains display extended hypoplastic alterations of the permanent dentition, including linear, pitted, and planar defects. The first permanent molars are distinctive, with multiple indentations and mottling. Given the unusual pattern of defects and the close resemblance to a series of archaeological cases recently published and assigned to congenital syphilis, a differential diagnosis is discussed, with particular reference to the effects induced not only by treponemal infection, but also by treatment with mercury and nutritional deficiency.

Keywords: Congenital syphilis; Enamel hypoplasia; Late medieval; Mercurial teeth; Romania; Scurvy.