Something to think about next time you’re in the dentist’s chair: Ancient humans had healthier teeth than people do today, researchers say.
This decline in oral health over the past 7,500 years is the result of changes in oral bacteria due to human evolution and industrialization, the study authors said. These changes have led to chronic oral and other health problems, according to the report published Feb. 18 in Nature Genetics.
“The composition of oral bacteria changed markedly with the introduction of farming, and again around 150 years ago,” explained study leader Alan Cooper, a professor and director of the University of Adelaide’s Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, in a center news release. “With the introduction of processed sugar and flour in the Industrial Revolution, we can see a dramatically decreased diversity in our oral bacteria, allowing domination by caries [cavities]-causing strains. The modern mouth basically exists in a permanent disease state.” READ FULL ARTICLE >>
