A 59,000-year-old tooth reshapes what we know about Neanderthal dentistry

A Neanderthal toothache from roughly 59,000 years ago likely led to an invasive dental procedure. A molar from a Neanderthal cave in southwestern Siberia contains a circular drill hole, indicating the source of pain was identified deep inside the tooth. The procedure appears to have been performed without modern pain relief, using a pointy rock to grind into the molar. Scientists examined the hole and ruled out alternative explanations, extending the known timeline of human dentistry by about 40,000 years. The evidence suggests Neanderthals had diagnostic abilities, social support, and causal reasoning to accept short-term suffering for long-term benefit.

"This painful prehistoric dentistry saga unfurls from an ancient molar with a circular drill hole, discovered in a cave once inhabited by Neanderthals in southwestern Siberia. In a study published in PLOS One on Wednesday, scientists rule out other explanations for the hollowed-out hole, pushing back the known history of human dentistry by about 40,000 years."

"They would have had to understand that the acute short-term agony from someone drilling a hole deep in their mouth would, in the long run, be helpful. It "requires a level of reasoning that goes far beyond instinct. It involves what we might call causal thinking: recognizing the source of pain (the decay inside the tooth), understanding that removing the damaged tissue will stop the infection, and accepting short‑term suffering for a future benefit," Andrey Krivoshapkin wrote."

"Bones and stones left behind by prehistoric humans leave much up to the imagination. But the find is a visceral reminder to anyone who has felt an ache in their jaw of the sophistication of Neanderthal minds and culture. It is the latest in a string of evidence that explodes the myth of our unique cognitive and social abilities and deepens the mystery of why we are the only species of human left on the planet."

"Our close human cousins had diagnostic abilities. They had social and community support to carry out medical procedures. They must have been able to deploy complex cognitive skills, such as foresight, abstract reasoning and trust."

Read at The Washington Post