Estres oral en sociedades de cazadores y recolectores del noreste de la Patagonia

FLENSBORG, GUSTAVO

Congreso; IX Congreso Suddamericano de la Asociación de Paleopatología; 2023

Hunter-gatherer societies continuously occupied the river valleys and sectors of the Atlantic coast from northeastern Patagonia (Argentina) during the late Holocene (ca. 3000-250 years BP). In this period, social changes are observed in the use of the landscape, the adaptive patterns and the socio-historical trajectories, mainly from ca. 1000 years BP. The aim of this study is to evaluate dento-alveolar stress and diseases in human groups that inhabited arid-semiarid environments linked to the inland and the coast to discuss differences in adaptation patterns throughout the late Holocene. Materials and Methods: The analyzed sample consists of 1859 teeth and 2590 alveoli, corresponding to 139 adult individuals (55 males, 49 females and 35 indeterminate) from 12 archaeological sites. The analysis was carried out with a 20x binocular magnifying glass and the following variables were considered: caries, dental calculus, periodontal disease, periapical lesions, antemortem tooth loss, dental wear, and tooth dislocation. The prevalence of lesion was analyzed according to sex, age-at-death, geographic location, and chronology.Results: Intense tooth wear was recorded over time and pathological lesions affected ca. 30% of individuals, similar in both sexes. No differences were observed at the temporal and spatial levels.Discussion: The proposed changes in social organization and dietary practices for hunter-gatherer groups during the late Holocene did not cause variations in the development of oral pathologies. The frequencies recorded in this work are similar to those reported for other archaeological contexts in the Pampa and Patagonia regions, which indicates similar adaptive responses to the stressors of arid-semiarid environments.