Archaeological finds reveal “advanced” dentistry among the Vikings

The ancient Scandinavians knew how to treat toothache

Viking dentistry was surprisingly advanced and not much different from modern treatment methods, scientists came to this conclusion after studying archaeological finds.

Viking Age teeth at Varnhem, Sweden reveal surprisingly advanced dentistry among the ancient Scandinavians, according to a study conducted at the University of Gothenburg.

According to website arkeonews.net, in 2005, during excavations in Varnhem (Sweden), the remains of a Christian church were discovered, next to which there was a cemetery with thousands of Viking graves dating from the 10th-12th centuries AD. The site is known for its extensive Viking and medieval excavations, including tombs where skeletons and teeth are well preserved in favorable soil conditions.

In this study, Caroline Bertilsson and her colleagues conducted clinical and radiographic studies of the dentition of people from this site. In total, the team analyzed more than 3,293 teeth from 171 people.

The teeth were clinically examined using standard dental instruments under bright light. A number of x-ray studies were also carried out using the same technique used in dentistry, where the patient bites on a small square imaging plate in the mouth.

The results, which were published in the journal PLOS ONE, show that 49% of the Viking population had one or more tooth decay lesions. Of the adult teeth, 13% were affected by caries, often at the roots. However, children with baby teeth—or both baby teeth and adult teeth—were completely free of tooth decay.

Tooth loss was also common among adults. The adults studied lost an average of 6% of their teeth, excluding wisdom teeth, over their lifetime. The risk of tooth loss increases with age.

The findings suggest that tooth decay, dental infections and toothache were common among the Vikings of Warnham. However, the study also shows examples of attempts to take care of teeth in different ways.

“There were several signs that the Vikings modified their teeth, including evidence of using toothpicks, filing down front teeth, and even treating teeth with infections,” says Caroline Bertilsson, a dentist and research assistant and first author of the study.

One of the hallmarks of more complex procedures were molars with holes filed down from the crown of the tooth to the pulp, probably to relieve pressure and relieve severe toothache due to infection.

“It’s very exciting and not unlike the dental procedures we do today where we drill into infected teeth. The Vikings appear to have had dental knowledge, but we don’t know whether they performed these procedures themselves or had help.”

The filed front teeth may have been a kind of identity marker. In both this and previous studies, the cases detected were male. Caroline Bertilsson continues: “This research provides new insight into Viking oral hygiene and indicates that teeth were important in the Warnham Viking culture. It also suggests that Viking Age dentistry was probably more advanced than previously thought.”