Calculus deposits and bone loss on the teeth of Romano-British and eighteenth-century Londoners

The relation between dental calculus and periodontal disease is not clear b ut it is generally recognized that calculus is a significant pathogenetic f actor. Skeletal material has previously been used to study some aspects of chronic adult periodontitis hut few studies have quantified the extent of c alculus in ancient populations and its relation to changes in alveolar bone height. This study records the presence and extent of calculus and its rel ation to alveolar bone loss in a Romano-British and eighteenth-century Lond on population. There were significant differences in calculus deposition in the two populations but this appeared to have little effect on changes in alveolar bone contour. It is suggested that the amount of calculus may be r elated to diet but that changes in alveolar bone height seem to be independ ently controlled. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.