Early hominid dental pathology: Interproximal caries in 1.5 million-year-old Paranthropus robustus from Swartkrans
Abstract
Carious lesions on the mesial and distal aspects of a RM1 of a young adult 'robust' australopithecine. Paranthropus robustus, are described. The specimen is from Member 1 sediments of the Swartkrans cave, which are dated to between about 1.8 and 1.5 million years before present. The mesial lesion, located cervically, had progressed further than the two distal lesions, which were situated along the cervix and in the enamel of the interproximal contact facet. This is the third specimen of P. robustus to be discovered with dental caries, but the other two cases were associated with occlusal and buccal enamel hypoplasia. Caries is present in less than about 3.0% of the approx. 116-128 P. robustus specimens at Swartkrans, and this incidence is noticeably lower than in the small Homo erectus sample from the same site. While this difference may simply be a sampling artefact, it may reflect dietary differences between these two synchronic and presumably sympatric early hominid species.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Dental caries and periodontal disease were rare in pre-Neolithic hunter-gatherer societies and early hominins.
“These oral diseases include dental caries (tooth decay)1 and periodontal disease (an infection causing damage to the supporting connective tissues of the tooth and resorption of bone)21, both of which were rare in pre-Neolithic hunter-gatherer societies20 and early hominins22.”
From Sequencing ancient calcified dental plaque shows changes in oral microbiota with dietary shifts of the Neolithic and Industrial revolutions (2013) · cites this paper as [22]
Increased consumption of cereal grains at this transition was accompanied by the emergence of dental and periodontal diseases, which is further reflected by distinct shifts in the oral microbiota.
“Increased consumption of cereal grains at this transition was accompanied by the emergence of dental and periodontal diseases, which is further reflected by distinct shifts in the oral microbiota.245, 246, 247”
From The oral microbiome: Role of key organisms and complex networks in oral health and disease (2021) · cites this paper as [246]
Cites
Grine, F. E. (1986) · Journal of Human Evolution · doi:10.1016/s0047-2484(86)80010-0 · Cited by 514 · see citing works
Self-citationEvolutionary History of the “Robust” australopithecines
Harrison, T. (1991) · International Journal of Primatology · doi:10.1007/bf02547562 · Cited by 492 · see citing works
Diet and teeth: Dietary hypotheses and human evolution
Walker, A. (1981) · Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.1981.0013 · Cited by 288 · see citing works
Early hominid diets from quantitative image analysis of dental microwear
Grine, F. E., & Kay, R. F. (1988) · Nature · doi:10.1038/333765a0 · Cited by 233 · see citing works
Self-citationThe Distribution of Dental Caries in Ancient British Populations
Moore, W., & Corbett, E. (2009) · Caries Research · doi:10.1159/000259838 · Cited by 148 · see citing works
The Distribution of Dental Caries in Ancient British Populations 1. Anglo-saxon Period
Moore, W., & Corbett, E. (2009) · Caries Research · doi:10.1159/000259743 · Cited by 142 · see citing works
New hominid fossils from the Swartkrans formation (1979–1986 excavations): Craniodental specimens
Grine, F. E. (1989) · American Journal of Physical Anthropology · doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330790402 · Cited by 111 · see citing works
Self-citationGeological Antiquity of Rhodesian Man
Klein, R. G. (1973) · Nature · doi:10.1038/244311c0 · Cited by 102 · see citing works
Early hominid enamel hypoplasia
White, T. D. (1978) · American Journal of Physical Anthropology · doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330490112 · Cited by 94 · see citing works
A Scanning Electron Microscopic Study of Progressive Stages of Enamel Caries in vivo
Holmen, L., Thylstrup, A., Øgaard, B., & Kragh, F. (2009) · Caries Research · doi:10.1159/000260867 · Cited by 94 · see citing works
Rhodesian man and associated remains
Pycraft, W. P. (1928) · Printed by order of the Trustees of the British Museum eBooks · Cited by 91 · see citing works
The archaeological significance of animal bones from Acheulean sites in southern Africa
Klein, R. G. (1988) · African Archaeological Review · doi:10.1007/bf01117110 · Cited by 89 · see citing works
THE MACROSCOPIC DENTAL PATHOLOGY OF SOME EARLIER HUMAN POPULATIONS
Brothwell, D. R. (1963) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-08-009823-4.50019-7 · Cited by 87 · see citing works
Teeth in earlier human populations
Brothwell, D. R. (1959) · Proceedings of The Nutrition Society · doi:10.1079/pns19590016 · Cited by 52 · see citing works
Sognnaes, R. F. (2003) · PubMed · Cited by 44 · see citing works
Ripamonti, U. (1988) · American Journal of Physical Anthropology · doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330760208 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Some hominid features of the apeman dentition
Robinson, J. T. C. (1952) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Clement, A. (1956) · BDJ · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Clement, A. (1958) · BDJ · Cited by 16 · see citing works
A 3-Year Longitudinal Caries Study of Permanent Tooth Surfaces at Risk in Finnish School Children
Nordblad, A., & Larmas, M. (2009) · Caries Research · doi:10.1159/000260855 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Tooth Morphology, Wear and Diet in Australopithecus and Paranthropus from Southern Africa
Grine, F. E. (2017) · doi:10.4324/9780203792667-39 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Self-citation
Flagged first, then by citations
6 of the 27 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
The oral microbiome: Role of key organisms and complex networks in oral health and disease
Sedghi, L., DiMassa, V., Harrington, A., Lynch, S. V., & Kapila, Y. L. (2021) · Periodontology 2000 · doi:10.1111/prd.12393 · Cited by 755 · see citing works
Adler, C. J., Dobney, K., Weyrich, L. S., Kaidonis, J., Walker, A. W., Haak, W., Bradshaw, C. J. A., Townsend, G., Sołtysiak, A., Alt, K. W., et al. (2013) · Nature Genetics · doi:10.1038/ng.2536 · Cited by 621 · see citing works
A reappraisal of early hominid phylogeny
Strait, D. S., Grine, F. E., & Moniz, M. A. (1997) · Journal of Human Evolution · doi:10.1006/jhev.1996.0097 · Cited by 330 · see citing works
Self-citationHuman Salivary Amylase Gene Copy Number Impacts Oral and Gut Microbiomes
Poole, A. C., Goodrich, J. K., Youngblut, N. D., Luque, G. G., Ruaud, A., Sutter, J. L., Waters, J. L., Shi, Q., El-Hadidi, M. S., Johnson, L. M., et al. (2019) · Cell Host & Microbe · doi:10.1016/j.chom.2019.03.001 · Cited by 139 · see citing works
Salivary amylase - The enzyme of unspecialized euryphagous animals.
Boehlke, C., Zierau, O., & Hannig, C. (2015) · Archives of Oral Biology · doi:10.1016/j.archoralbio.2015.05.008 · Cited by 84 · see citing works
Changes in the oral ecosystem induced by the use of 8% arginine toothpaste
Koopman, J. E., Hoogenkamp, M. A., Buijs, M. J., Brandt, B. W., Keijser, B. J. F., Crielaard, W., ten Cate, J. M., & Zaura, E. (2016) · Archives of Oral Biology · doi:10.1016/j.archoralbio.2016.09.008 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
Earliest evidence of dental caries manipulation in the Late Upper Palaeolithic
Oxilia, G., Peresani, M., Romandini, M., Matteucci, C., Spiteri, C. D., Henry, A. G., Schulz, D., Archer, W., Crezzini, J., Boschin, F., et al. (2015) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/srep12150 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
Caries Through Time: An Anthropological Overview
Pezo‐Lanfranco, L., & Eggers, S. (2012) · InTech eBooks · doi:10.5772/38059 · Cited by 54 · see citing works
Dental Caries in the Aubesier 5 Neandertal Primary Molar
Trinkaus, E., Smith, R. J., & Lebel, S. (2000) · Journal of Archaeological Science · doi:10.1006/jasc.1999.0512 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Oral Health in Past Populations: Context, Concepts and Controversies
Lukacs, J. R. (2011) · doi:10.1002/9781444345940.ch30 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Arnaud, J., Benazzi, S., Romandini, M., Livraghi, A., Panetta, D., Salvadori, P. A., Volpe, L., & Peresani, M. (2016) · American Journal of Physical Anthropology · doi:10.1002/ajpa.23111 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
New Evidence of Dental Pathology in 40,000-year-old Neandertals
WALKER, M. J., Zapata, J., Lombardi, A. V., & Trinkaus, E. (2010) · Journal of Dental Research · doi:10.1177/0022034510387797 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Dental Calculus and the Evolution of the Human Oral Microbiome
Warinner, C. (2016) · Journal of the California Dental Association · doi:10.1080/19424396.2016.12221034 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Fuss, J., Uhlig, G., & Böhme, M. (2018) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0203307 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Comparative analysis of dentognathic pathologies in the D manisi mandibles
Margvelashvili, A., Zollikofer, C. P. E., Lordkipanidze, D., Tafforeau, P., & de León, M. S. P. (2016) · American Journal of Physical Anthropology · doi:10.1002/ajpa.22966 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Dietary Reconstruction and Nutritional Assessment of Past Peoples: The Bioanthropological Record
Larsen, C. S. (2000) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/chol9780521402149.004 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Dental caries in South African fossil hominins
Towle, I., Irish, J. D., Groote, I. D., Fernée, C., & Loch, C. (2021) · South African Journal of Science · doi:10.17159/sajs.2021/8705 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Temple, D. H. (2015) · doi:10.1002/9781118845486.ch26 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Evolution of the Oral Microbiome and Dental Caries
Adler, C., Browne, G., Sukumar, S., & Hughes, T. (2017) · Current Oral Health Reports · doi:10.1007/s40496-017-0151-1 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Eggertsson, H., & Zandoná, A. F. (2009) · Monographs in oral science · doi:10.1159/000224215 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Prevalence Profile of Oral Disease in Ancient Population
Zhang, X., Dai, J., Han, Y., & Shao, J. (2010) · The Open Anthropology Journal · doi:10.2174/1874912701003020012 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Evaluation of the effects of different remineralizing agents onStreptococcus mutansbiofilm adhesion
Karaarslan, E. Ş., BAL, F. A., Çadırcı, B. H., Ağaccıoğlu, M., Taştan, E., Yilmaz, G., & Özkoçak, B. B. C. (2018) · Journal of Adhesion Science and Technology · doi:10.1080/01694243.2018.1499319 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Root caries on a Paranthropus robustus third molar from Drimolen
Towle, I., Riga, A., Irish, J. D., Dori, I., Menter, C. G., & Moggi‐Cecchi, J. (2019) · American Journal of Physical Anthropology · doi:10.1002/ajpa.23891 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
EARLIEST RECORD OF DENTAL PATHOGEN DISCOVERED IN A NORTH AMERICAN EOCENE RABBIT
Fostowicz‐Frelik, Ł., & Frelik, G. J. (2010) · Palaios · doi:10.2110/palo.2010.p10-084r · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Molecular analysis of ancient caries
Simón, M., Montiel, R., Smerling, A., Eduvigis Solórzano, N., Díaz, N., Álvarez-Sandoval, B. A., Jiménez-Marín, A. R., & Morera, A. M. (2014) · Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspb.2014.0586 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Dental pathology, wear and developmental defects in South African hominins
Towle, I. (2017) · Liverpool John Moores University · doi:10.24377/ljmu.t.00007145 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Finite element analysis of stresses in dental crowns
de Jager, N. (2008) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1533/9781845694241.343 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Periapical lesions in hominids: Abscesses on the maxilla of a 2 million‐year‐old early Homo specimen
Towle, I., & Irish, J. D. (2019) · International Journal of Osteoarchaeology · doi:10.1002/oa.2806 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Shao, J., Han, Y., He, W., Dai, J., & Duan, Q. (2010) · The Open Anthropology Journal · doi:10.2174/1874912701003020020
Earliest evidence of dental caries manipulation in the Late Upper
Spiteri, C. D., Henry, A. G., Schulz, D., Boschin, F., Boscato, P., Broglio, A., Moggi‐Cecchi, J., Fiorenza, L., & Benazzi, S. (2015)
Determining What Our Ancestors Ate
Kiple, K. F., & Ornelas, K. C. (2000) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/chol9780521402149.003
Fazzolari, J. R., Ferguson, B., & Eisig, S. B. (2022) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-89563-1_8
Estalrrich, A., Alarcón, J. A., García‐Tabernero, A., & Rosas, A. (2025) · American Journal of Biological Anthropology · doi:10.1002/ajpa.70088
- Authors
- Grine, F. E., Gwinnett, A. J., & Oaks, J. H.
- Affiliations
- State University of New York (US)
- Stony Brook University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Grine, F.E.
- ORCID
- Grine, F.E.
- Venue
- Archives of Oral Biology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 1990
- Volume
- 35
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 381-386
- ISSN
- 0003-9969 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1970293725
- Cited by
- 33
- References
- 27
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 0.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Archives of Oral Biology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Leakey Foundation
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Anthropology › Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Archeology › Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Archeology › Paleopathology and ancient diseases
- Keywords
- Paranthropus robustus, dental caries, interproximal caries, early hominins, Swartkrans, australopithecines, enamel hypoplasia, Homo erectus, dietary differences, fossil teeth
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Animals, Dental Caries, Dental Enamel, Dentin, Humans, Paleodontology, South Africa, Tooth Abrasion, Hominidae, History, Ancient
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
