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Tooth decay

Does farming cause tooth decay?

Over the past 10,000 years the diet and lifestyle of humans was transformed as they changed from hunter-gathering to farming. In many ways this was progress. Cultivating plants made it easier to feed more people and was less physically demanding than travelling long distances to find food. But it was not all positive.

Bioarchaeologist Clark Spencer Larsen's analysis of the skeletons of Native Americans in the south-western United States shows that one of the most profound changes was the decline in dental health. He has found a striking contrast between the teeth of foragers and those of early farmers. Farming people were more likely to suffer from cavities than hunters and gatherers, and were also more likely to lose their teeth.

This pattern, which is consistent in different parts of the world, is almost certainly due to the increased carbohydrate in the diet, which, when mixed with bacteria in the mouth, creates acids that attack tooth enamel.

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