Caries dental y salud oral en poblaciones coloniales de Mendoza (Argentina) durante los siglos XVIII-XIX

Abstract

This work studies the presence of dental caries in a sample of adult skeletons recoveredfrom excavations carried out in the colonial temple of San Francisco-La Caridad (18th-19thcenturies) in the Foundational Area of Mendoza (Argentina). Frequency, distribution andlocation of carious lesions in the anterior and posterior dentition of two sub-samples (teethof primary and secondary burials) are evaluated. Each subsample could correspond to socialsectors with different status. The prevalence of caries was similar among social groups,although some differences in the distribution and location of the lesions were observed. Thesewere interpreted in relation to historical, ethnohistorical and archaeological information ondiet, food preparation practices, and oral hygiene of the colonial populations from Mendoza,suggesting different lifestyles among the different socioeconomic sectors.