A Dental Odyssey Through the Oral Health of Norse Warriors
In a recent dive into Viking territory, a crew from the University of Gothenburg got down and dirty, examining 3,293 teeth straight outta the mouths of 171 Viking Age folks from Varnhem, Sweden. Yeah, we’re talking Vikings, baby. This is some real deal PLOS ONE research, shedding light on how these Nordic badasses took care of their oral business back in the 10th to 12th centuries.
So, what did they find out?
Well, hold onto your seats, because it turns out, nearly half of these Viking warriors had one or more caries lesions gnawing away at their teeth. Thirteen percent of adult teeth were hit, and not just any hit, we’re talking root shots. But hey, here’s a twist, the little Viking ankle-biters with their milk teeth? Pure as snow, not a cavity in sight.
Now, if you think that’s all, you'd be dead wrong. Tooth loss was as common as a cold in winter for these Viking adults, with an average of 6% of their teeth jumping ship during their lifetimes (and we ain’t counting wisdom teeth, folks). And guess what? The older they got, the more teeth they lost.
But wait, there’s more!
These Vikings weren’t just raiding and pillaging, they were also taking care of business when it came to their dental hygiene: toothpicks, front teeth filed down like some sorta Nordic bling, and dental treatments for those nasty infections. They found molars with holes filed into them. Why, you ask? Probably to deal with the mother of all toothaches. Yeah, these Vikings weren’t messing around when it came to tooth pain.
Carolina Bertilsson, head honcho of this dental excavation, reckons these findings show these Vikings were more than just mindless warriors. They had some serious dental game. Those filed front teeth? Probably a way to show off, make a statement, ya know?
This study, it’s like cracking open a Viking treasure chest of dental secrets. Turns out, these Norsemen were way ahead of the game when it came to taking care of their pearly whites. We still ain’t sure if they were doing all this themselves or if they had some help. Guess we’ll just have to keep digging.
