Diet and our teeth

A research team from the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA has found evidence suggesting that oral health is actually worse now than in prehistoric times, despite the vast medical advances since the days of our hunter-gatherer ancestors.

The results of the team's study, recently published in Nature Genetics, are based on close examination of calcified plaque from 34 prehistoric skeletons. The change has to do with our evolving diet - the switch from meat and vegetables to more carbohydrates and sugars (from the development of agriculture, and later the Industrial Revolution) led to an evolution in the makeup of oral bacteria.

Disease-causing bacteria thriving on carbs crowded out the more innocuous, pathogen-fighting bacteria already there. This led to an enhanced immune response against these "opportunistic pathogens" - the more you eat, the more bacteria you have, and the harder your body has to work to fight it off. The lack of the previous pathogen-fighting bacteria then leads to oral disease.

Reference: Living Well

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