Estudio sobre alimentación, caries y desgaste dental en población prehispánica y contemporánea de Yaguajay, Cuba

Introduction: Studying oral pathologies allows exploring the influence of dietary habits on oral health status. Objective: To describe dental caries and wear in two populations: a pre-Hispanic and a contemporary one, with different dietary patterns. Materials and Methods: In 2022 a descriptive observational study was conducted on 27 disarticulated teeth from a pre-Hispanic population found in Vigía cave, and an oral examination was performed on 14 farmers from the rural community of La Picadora, located 3 km from the site, for a total of 292 examined teeth. Results: Dental caries was recorded in 7.4% of the teeth recovered in Vigía cave, prevailing on occlusal surfaces. Wear was identified in 96.3% of the teeth, with greater involvement of incisal and occlusal surfaces. In the farmers, 12.3% of the teeth presented caries lesions, predominantly on proximal surfaces. 50.3% showed wear, prevailing on incisal and cervical surfaces. Conclusions: In both cases, dental caries and wear were identified, differing in frequency and location. The variable response of dental tissues to different dietary patterns evidences the dynamic nature of oral conditions in the presence of diverse environments and the usefulness of odontological studies in osteobiographic and epidemiological analysis.