Research on British teeth unlocks potential for new insights into ancient diets

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Research on British teeth unlocks potential for new insights into ancient diets
July 17, 2018, University of York
 

Goofy, yellow and crooked: British smiles have sometimes had a less-than-flattering international image, but a new study has put tartar from our infamously bad teeth to good use.

Researchers analysing the teeth of Britons from the Iron Age to the modern day have unlocked the potential for using proteins in tooth tartar to reveal what our ancestors ate.

Dental plaque accumulates on the surface of teeth during life and is mineralised by components of saliva to form tartar or "dental calculus", entombing proteins from the food we eat in the process.

https://phys.org/news/2018-07-british-teeth-potential-insights-ancient.html

[Suppressed]

Americans do not have better teeth than the British, study concludes
The British have been mocked about their poor teeth for decades, but it's entirely unfounded, a study has concluded
By Sarah Knapton, Science Editor11:30PM GMT 16 Dec 2015


The Duchess of Cambridge has a beautifully natural smile Photo: PA

[...]

But a new study suggests the Brits have been unfairly maligned. According to University College London and Harvard University, Britons have no worse dental health than the Americans, and in fact, we have fewer missing teeth.

The study showed that the average number of missing teeth was significantly higher in the US – with the average person missing 7.31 teeth compared to 6.97 in Britain.
[...]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/12054216/Americans-do-not-have-better-teeth-than-the-British-study-concludes.html

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