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Neolithic Dentistry: Evidence for Tooth Drilling in Neolithic Mehrgarh, Pakistan

By K. Kris Hirst, About.com

Neolithic Dentistry: Evidence for Tooth Drilling in Neolithic Mehrgarh, Pakistan

Drilled maxillary left second molar from an adult male (MR3 90) from Neolithic Mehrgarh.

Drilled maxillary left second molar from an adult male (MR3 90) from Neolithic Mehrgarh.

L. Bondioli (Museum L. Pigorini, Rome) & R. Macchiarelli (Univ. of Poitiers).
This image is Figure 1 from Coppa et al., "Early Neolithic Tradition of Dentistry", published on April 6, 2006 in Nature, a general public version of which describes the results of this investigation into early Neolithic dentistry at the Neolithic site of Mehrgarh, in Pakistan. {br}{br] Maxillary left second molar from an adult male (MR3 90) from Neolithic Mehrgarh. There are two in vivo perforations on the occlusal surface made by a drilling tool that was probably equipped with the same flint head.
  • a, The larger,mesio–lingual perforation has a maximum diameter of 1.6 mm; the second, at the centre of the crown, has a maximum diameter of 1.3 mm.
  • b, Scanning electron micrograph of their negative replicas, showing that both perforations are slightly inclined mesio–distally and have a similar general shape. The larger perforation is also deeper (1.5 compared with 0.7 mm).
  • c, A microtomographic three-dimensional reconstruction of the tooth, with positive virtual casts (top) of the two perforations. The minimum volume of removed enamel and dentine in the mesio–lingual perforation (red) is 1.8mm3; the minimum volume of removed enamel for the smaller perforation (violet) is 0.3mm3.
Scale bars: a, 2.2 mm; b, 1mm; c, 2mm.

L. Bondioli (Museum L. Pigorini, Rome) & R. Macchiarelli (Univ. of Poitiers), published in A. Coppa et al. 2006. Early Neolithic tradition of dentistry. Nature 440(6 April 2006):755-756.

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