title: A Contemporary Clinical Assessment of Historical Findings of a 14,000 Year Old Tooth.
abstract: A recent publication in Nature--Scientific Reports identified a 14,000-year-old tooth that apparently had undergone a dental procedure to remove dental caries. This report is well detailed and focused on the discovery of what appeared to be dental caries manipulation in the Late Upper Palaeolithic Era in a human specimen (Villabruna) from a burial site in Northern Italy. Modern technology was used to assess this finding and provide a reasonable explanation based on specific enamel chipping observed in the uppermost mesial margin of the tooth cavity. While details of the discovery were based primarily on the tooth cavity that was identified and the specific characteristics it displayed, upon review of the report other observations not reported or assessed may suggest additional considerations for contemporary dentistry. The purpose of this article is to attempt to provide a plausible clinical perspective on these additional observation and assessments along with identifying questions as to the importance of these conclusions.
authors: James L
authors: JL
authors: Gutmann
mesh_terms: D005580:Fossils; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D014070:Tooth