Pulp stones prevalence in a historical sample from Radom, Poland (AD 1791–1811).

Abstract

This paper provides an investigation of pulp stones in a sample drawn from the historical population of Radom, Poland, dating to between AD 1791 and 1811. This study seeks to determine the frequency of pulp stones, and assess the association between pulp stones and sex, age, dental caries, and dental wear. A total of 780 teeth from 121 adult individuals of both sexes (45 females, 76 males) were examined. Analysis was limited to molars. The average age-at-death of each individual was estimated. Total wear scores across the molars were calculated for each individual. Pulp stones were identified by a portable dental X-ray machine. Pulp stones were found in 94 of 121 individuals and in 273 of 780 molars. No statistically significant correlation was found between pulp stones and age-at-death (p = 0.7625) and sex (p = 0.0915), but a significant relationship was found between pulp stones and dental wear (p < 0.0001) and dental caries (p = 0.0016). Our study found that molars affected by highly advanced dental wear were significantly more often accompanied by pulp stones than molars that had experienced limited wear. Similarly, significant correlations were observed for dental caries. It means that pulp stone formation appears to have been contingent upon the irritation of the tooth crown by factors such as forces acting on the tooth crown leading to dental wear or dental caries.

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