DENTAL HARD TISSUE DESTRUCTION 123 



roots but also extended into the crown dentin, thereby giving the 

 roentgenological appearance of undermined enamel. Furthermore, 

 a narrow border of dentin around the wall of the pulp chamber often 

 appeared to have become similarly radiolucent. The latter type of 

 specimen weighed less than normal teeth of the same size and could 

 be completely decalcified in a relatiyely short time, less than that 

 required for freshly extracted teeth. Instead of haying a leatherlike 

 matrix like normal teeth, the decalcified roots could be pressed to- 

 gether like a sponge. This crude observation indicated that this type 

 of tooth, besides the loss of the normal mineral component, had 

 also suffered some loss of the organic framework. In further contrast 

 to a normal dentin matrix, the remaining organic meshwork could 

 easily be teased apart under a dissecting microscope and separated 

 into shining bundles reminding one of the appearance of tendons. 

 Through further examination it could be confirmed that this material 

 had retained the pattern of collagenous fibers, in spite of the fact 

 that the teeth had been buried in the ground for hundreds of years. 

 All in all, about 40 per cent of the Greek teeth, particularly the 

 roots, exhibited the grossly visible porous appearance of the ex- 

 ternal surface. Whether this was due to simple acid erosion or to 

 changes in the underhing tooth substance could not be determined 

 by gross inspection. 



Fig. 19. Molar tooth from prehistoric Greece, photographed by reflected 

 hght. The enamel surface has retained its normal glossy appearance, while the 

 root has a dull, porous surface. ( X 3. ) 



Fig. 20. X-rav photograph of the molar shown in Fig. 19. The white out- 

 line of the enamel cap indicates normal x-rav absorption, whereas the root, 

 especially its apical region, shows unusual radiolucency, indicating loss of the 

 normal mineral content. ( X 3.) 



Figs. 21 and 22. Photomicrographs of ground sections, showing different 

 patterns of postmortem canals penetrating the dentin of teeth from prehistoric 

 Greece (from Asine, Peloponnesos, Mycenae). For details see text, (x 90.) 



Fig. 23. Ground section of mandibular right permanent second molar of 

 adult female from the Skhul cave of Mount Carmel, middle paleolithic 

 Palestine. In addition to postmortem canals (dark patches), there is a cervical 

 "cavity" involving enamel and dentin erosion, (x 30.) 



Fig. 24. Sec'tion of prehistoric Greek molar from Ol^nthus, Macedonia, 

 buried for nearly 4000 vears. Postmortem surface erosions of the enamel cut 

 abruptly across the growth lines, without sign of vital reactions in the under- 

 lying tooth structure. Ground section, carmine stain, (x 30.) 



