Dental calculus is an excellent source of information on the
dietary patterns of past populations, including consumption of
plant-based items. The detection of plant-derived residues such as
alkaloids and their metabolites in dental calculus provides direct
evidence of consumption by individuals within a population. We conducted
a study on 41 individuals from Middenbeemster, a 19th century rural
Dutch archaeological site. Skeletal and dental analysis was performed to
explore potential relationships between pathological lesions and
presence of alkaloids. Dental calculus was analysed using
ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry
(UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS). We were able to detect nicotine, cotinine, caffeine,
theophylline, and salicylic acid, suggesting the consumption of tea and
coffee and smoking of tobacco on an individual scale, which is also
confirmed by historic documentation and identification of pipe notches
in the dentition. Nicotine and/or cotinine was present in 56% of
individuals with at least one visible pipe notch. There is some
influence of skeletal preservation on the detection of alkaloids, with
higher quantities of compounds extracted from well-preserved
individuals, and we observe a positive relationship between weight of
the calculus sample and quantity of detected compounds, as well as
between chronic maxillary sinusitis and the presence of multiple
alkaloids. There are many limitations that will need to be addressed
going forward with this type of analysis; we stress the need for more
systematic research on the consumption of alkaloid-containing items and
their subsequent concentration and preservation in dental calculus, in
addition to how mode of consumption may affect concentrations in the
dentition. Despite the limitations, this preliminary study illustrates
many benefits of using calculus to target a variety of compounds that
could have been consumed as medicine or diet. This method allows us to
directly address specific individuals, which can be especially useful in
individuals that are not always well-documented in historic
documentation, such as rural populations, and especially children and
women.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4059767