10,000-year-old gum found in Sweden: shows what kind of dental problems ancient people had

About 10,000 years ago in what is now Sweden, a group of hunter-gatherers chewed gum made from birch resin. Analysis of this gum by scientists has shown that ancient people suffered from dental problems similar to those that modern humans have.

Researchers from Mersin University in Turkey and Istanbul University used advanced technology to extract DNA from the gum samples. They were able to find that the gum was chewed by teenagers who ate venison, trout and hazelnuts. They also found bacteria in the gum that cause dental diseases, in particular periodontitis and tooth decay. New Atlas writes about it.

Approximately 70-80% of the members of the group of hunter-gatherers suffered from gum disease. According to scientists, this could be due to the fact that ancient people used teeth as tools, for example, to create fur garments. This could have caused damage to the gums and spread bacteria.

Read also: An ancient submerged settlement was found near Australia, where half a million people once lived

In addition, traces of other foods were found in the tar, including apples, red fox, gray wolf and mistletoe. According to scientists, these traces could have been left on the teeth of old people after they ate these foods.

This study gives an insight into how old people lived. It also shows that dental problems are a long-standing problem of mankind.

Recall, along the route of the "Mayan Train" found funerary urn with the image of the god of corn.

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