Wioletta Nowaczewska

Temporomandibular joints (TMJs) are critical components of the masticatory system, and their health reflects both functional demands and environmental pressures experienced by past populations. Although TMJ morphology and disorders are well‐documented clinically, paleopathological research on degenerative changes in historical populations remains limited. Studying TMJ pathologies alongside dental health parameters provides important insights into mastication patterns, aging, diet, and oral hygiene practices in historical contexts. The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between TMJ pathology and biological traits, and to analyze the associations between dental health indicators and sex, age, and TMJ changes in a 19th‐ to 20th‐century population from Poland. This study analyzed the dental status and TMJ pathological changes in 70 adult individuals (34 males, 36 females) from the 19th‐ to 20th‐century “Kuronia” skeletal collection (Wroclaw, Poland). TMJ alterations were assessed based on the degree, intensity, and extent of structural changes in the articular surfaces. Dental health was documented following the Federation Dentaire Internationale protocol, including the evaluation of tooth loss, dental crown wear, caries, calculus, and signs of infection. Degenerative changes on TMJ articular surfaces were observed in 68.5% of individuals. A statistically significant correlation was found between the frequency of TMJ alterations and age ( p = 0.027). Males exhibited more advanced tooth wear compared to females ( p = 0.037). Additionally, a significant association was detected between age and the number of antemortem lost teeth ( p = 0.012), with older individuals displaying higher rates of tooth loss. However, no statistically significant correlation was found between the examined dental health traits and the frequency or intensity of TMJ degenerative changes. The findings confirm that TMJ degeneration is strongly age‐related and influenced by dental status, particularly tooth loss. Integrating TMJ analysis with dental health evaluation enhances our understanding of biocultural adaptations and functional stressors in historical populations.

Background. Although the macroscopic assessment of dental caries and the assessment of bone elemental composition are quite different, efforts can be made to identify commonalities in the assessment of health and nutritional quality. Both indicators are correlated with dietary habits and are dependent on taphonomic processes occurring in the postmortem substrate. However, teeth exhibit structural resilience of their hard tissues to adverse environmental factors. Objectives. The aim of the study was to establish a correlation between the elemental composition of bones and the presence of carious lesions. Material and methods. The study material consisted of the following skeletal parts: 161 permanent teeth from 36 individuals and bridge fragments of 36 ribs. The presence of caries was assessed visually using a modified International Caries Detection & Assessment System (ICDAS II) scale. The rib samples were subjected to elemental analysis (zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba)) using spectroscopic methods. Results. The odontological and chemical analyses did not reveal any statistically significant relationships between the Ca/P diagenesis index and dental features. Postmortem tooth loss showed a weak correlation with the diagenesis index. Conclusions. Discoloration, cracks and flaking of the dental crown surfaces may be associated with the intensity of Ca/P diagenesis. However, no significant correlation was found between these phenomena. Among other elements, only Zn levels exhibited a correlation with the caries index.

The knowledge about the pattern of the relationship between the morphological variability of the supraorbital region of human skulls and the features of the temporal muscle is far from complete. The main aim of this study was to determine the relationships between the traits of human temporal muscle (i.e., its relative height and length) and the relative massiveness of the supraorbital region of the frontal bone with taking into account the potential influence of the neurocranial shape and the relative area of the occlusal surface of the upper molars. Skulls of African and Australian males (n = 44) exhibiting high variability in the massiveness of the supraorbital region, the presence of two types of the upper molars (first and second, n = 88) and a good state of the preservation of the braincase with the clearly visible inferior temporal line were examined. The qualitative scales were used to assess the degrees of the massiveness of the supraorbital regions. Metric traits of temporal muscle and that used to calculate the index of the neurocranial shape, size of the braincase and the facial skeleton were collected. Values of the occlusal areas of the molars were obtained using the ImageJ software. Spearman’s rank correlation and partial rank correlation analyses were performed. The results of our study showed the relationships between the traits of the temporal muscle and only the degree of the robusticity of most lateral part of the supraorbital area (trigonum). However, when the influences of the neurocranial shape and the relative occlusal area of molars were excluded, these relationships disappeared. The greatest importance of the neurocranial shape for the formation of the morphology of the trigonum was indicated. The results of the study were discussed from the perspective of the potential role of the temporal muscle as the part of the mastication apparatus for the development of the robusticity of the cranial supraorbital region.

The aim of this study was to establish whether there is a significant relationship between the total occlusal area (TOCA) of two types of permanent upper molars (first—M¹ and second—M²) and facial robusticity, as well as which of the examined facial regions indicate a relationship concerning the grade of their massiveness with the TOCA of analyzed molars in different sex adult Homo sapiens cranial samples. To obtain the values of the TOCA of the molars (n = 145), a morphometric method was performed based on the calibrated digital images of their occlusal surface using ImageJ software. The grades of the massiveness of six facial regions were assessed using qualitative scales of their expression, and an index of general facial robusticity was calculated. Two types of analyses were performed concerning standardized and non-standardized traits to the facial size, including Spearman’s/or Pearson’s correlations and partial rank correlations. The obtained results indicated the presence of a positive relationship between the relative TOCA of M²s and the relative general facial robusticity, as well as between the TOCA of both types of molars and the massiveness of trigone region of the facial skeleton in male crania. However, most of the obtained results were not consistent with the assumptions of the “localized masticatory stress hypothesis”.

Evidence of mobiliary art and body augmentation are associated with the cultural innovations introduced by Homo sapiens at the beginning of the Upper Paleolithic. Here, we report the discovery of the oldest known human-modified punctate ornament, a decorated ivory pendant from the Paleolithic layers at Stajnia Cave in Poland. We describe the features of this unique piece, as well as the stratigraphic context and the details of its chronometric dating. The Stajnia Cave plate is a personal 'jewellery' object that was created 41,500 calendar years ago (directly radiocarbon dated). It is the oldest known of its kind in Eurasia and it establishes a new starting date for a tradition directly connected to the spread of modern Homo sapiens in Europe.

Rare diseases are a challenge in paleopathological research, mainly due to the ambiguity of skeletal signs, bad preservation state of the material, and lack of the reference material. The aim of our article is to present the skull characterized by the decreased values of the metrical traits and numerous pathological features of the cranial morphology and make an attempt to determine the possible cause of the observed anomalies. The subject of our study is a cranium No KP 131 belonging to Polish skeletal collection named „Polish Kingdom”. We used both standard anthropometric methods, as well as the imaging techniques to detect the probable causes of the observed pathological changes. This specimen presents a complex of pathologies. Decreased values of the metrical features, thinning of the lateral walls of the neurocranium and the presence of platybasia were probably caused by premature closure of all main cranial sutures. Pathologies observed in cranium No 131 XIX might have had a common cause in some form of syndromic disorders.