COIMBRA, PORTUGAL—Live Science reports that biological anthropologist John Charles Willman of the University of Coimbra examined the teeth of hunter-gatherers of the Pavlovian culture who lived in Central Europe between 25,000 and 29,000 years ago. He thinks that the unusual enamel wear found on these teeth may have been caused by wearing piercings known as labrets in the cheek or near the lower lip. He notes that no known labrets have been recovered from Pavlovian burials, but suggests that they may have been made or wood or leather, which would not have been preserved. “Getting your first labret seemed to have occurred in childhood, since wear is documented in some baby teeth,” Willman said. Adult teeth show more signs of wear across more teeth, he added, perhaps because larger labrets were worn over time. Variations in tooth wear could also be related to life experiences or individual choices, he said. “Some individuals have dental crowding, which I interpreted as an effect of having labrets resting against the teeth for long periods of time,” Willman concluded. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology. To read about a 14,000-year-old case of dental work, go to "Paleo-Dentistry."
