First bioarchaeological evidence of probable scurvy in Southeast Asia: Multifactorial etiologies of vitamin C deficiency in a tropical environment.

This paper presents the first bioarchaeological evidence of probable scurvy in Southeast Asia from a six-year-old child at the historic-era site of Phnom Khnang Peung (15-17th centuries A.D.) in the Cardamom Mountains, Cambodia. Examination of skeletal material shows evidence consistent with scurvy - specifically, abnormal porosity on the greater wings of the sphenoid bone and hard palate, and vascular impressions on the ectocranial surface of the frontal bone and maxillary alveolar bone. In addition, this individual has evidence of cribra orbitalia indicative of anemia. Although a nutritionally linked etiology is the most common cause of scurvy, a number of other factors influencing ascorbic acid levels need to be considered in an environment with sufficient vitamin C potentially available in the diet. Assessing the environmental evidence, the possibility of a number of interrelated factors contributing to the development of scurvy in this individual seems the most plausible explanation. Factors affecting vitamin C levels may have included social aspects of food allocation or choice of food, genetic predisposition, anemia, pathogens, and nutrient malabsorption.

From the mouths of babes: dental caries in infants and children and the intensification of agriculture in mainland Southeast Asia.

Many bioarchaeological studies have established a link between increased dental caries prevalence and the intensification of agriculture. However, research in Southeast Asia challenges the global application of this theory. Although often overlooked, dental health of infants and children can provide a sensitive source of information concerning health and subsistence change. This article investigates the prevalence and location of caries in the dentition of infants and children (less than 15 years of age) from eight prehistoric mainland Southeast Asian sites collectively spanning the Neolithic to late Iron Age, during which time rice agriculture became an increasingly important subsistence mode. Caries prevalence varied among the sites but there was no correlation with chronological change. The absence of evidence of a decline in dental health over time can be attributed to the relative noncariogenicity of rice and retention of broad-spectrum subsistence strategies. No differences in caries type indicating differences in dental health were found between the sites, apart from the Iron Age site of Muang Sema. There was a higher prevalence of caries in the deciduous dentition than the permanent dentition, likely due to a cariogenic weaning diet and the higher sensitivity of deciduous teeth to decay. The level of caries in the permanent dentition suggests an increased reliance on less cariogenic foods during childhood, including rice. The absence of a temporal decline in dental health of infants and children strengthens the argument that the relationship between caries and agricultural intensification in Southeast Asia was more complex than the general model suggests.