According to new research revealed by scientists at the London Natural History Museum, Stone Age man suffered toothache from consuming a diet of acorns and pine nuts. Teeth were taken from 52 skeletons dating back over 13,700 years and they showed evidence of decay, with only three of those examples cavity-free.
The hunter-gatherers had to feed themselves before farming became the norm and scientists believe that the dependence on a diet of wild acorns and pine nuts brought about dental problems for early man. Both products contain high levels of fermentable carbohydrates that can cause decay if they are not cleaned away from the teeth after eating; they lodge themselves between the teeth and attract oral bacteria.
Stone age men are also believed to have lived a sedentary lifestyle due to a reliance on wild nuts; researcher Isabelle De Groote, from the Museum, said ‘These people’s mouths were often affected by both cavities in the teeth and tooth abscesses, and they would have suffered from frequent toothache.’
The skeletons used during the research were recovered from a cave system in Taforalt, Morocco, where numerous Stone Age remains have been located. Charred samples of food were also found and palaeobotanist Dr Jacob Morales explains that ‘We use charred fragments to identify plants that were carried back to the cave, including food items, such as acorns and pine nuts, and grasses that were used to make baskets.’