Congenital syphilis or mercury treatment: dental alterations in a twelfth- or thirteenth-century child from Medinaceli, Soria, Spain.

This study focuses on the hypoplastic dental changes observed in a child approximately eight years of age. Only a fragmented skull with left maxilla and the left side of the mandible were preserved. Macroscopic analysis, X-rays, computerized tomography (CT) and mercury detection analysis by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) techniques were used to observe dental abnormalities. In addition to extensive caries in the upper second deciduous molar, pulpo-alveolar lesions and facial alterations were observed. The absence of the rest of the skeleton tends to make a diagnosis of congenital syphilis difficult. However, the dental stigmata observed do permit a reasonable diagnosis.
PMID: 31939991 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Homo - January 14, 2020 Category: Physiology Authors: Gómez-González S, de Togores Muñoz CR, González-Garrido L Tags: Homo Source Type: research