Archaeologists have found an ancient dental bridge made of animal bone in Porto

According to the study, this is the first documented case of a fixed bone dental bridge in Portuguese archaeology. The find dates from the 18th to 19th centuries or, according to a narrower dating of the funerary context, from the 19th century. The work is published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology.

Important: this is not about modern dentistry in the usual sense. Such a bridge was probably not so much a full-fledged replacement for chewing teeth as it was a way to hide damage, missing teeth or change the appearance of a smile.

Details

The dental bridge was found next to the remains of a young adult. The open description of the article states that the sex of the buried person could not be determined. The remains were generally well preserved, but the upper jaw was completely toothless, the lower jaw was missing, and only two individual teeth were found from the lower teeth.

The bridge itself was small: about 24 mm long, 6 mm wide and 12 mm high. It had three crudely made 'teeth' of different sizes and holes around the edges. A wire or thread was probably passed through these holes to secure the design in the mouth.

The researchers examined the find using several methods: macroscopically, stereomicroscopy, X-ray techniques, micro-CT, X-ray diffraction and ZooMS analysis. The latter method helps to determine from which animal bone the object was made. The analysis showed that the material probably belonged to an animal from the family of the pronghorns - this group includes, for example, cows, bison and antelope.

A small cube-shaped object made of lead compounds was found inside the bridge. The authors suggest that this piece may have been used to repair, reinforce or stabilise holes. But whether the lead affected human health cannot be told from the find.

By design, the bridge most likely covered the outside of the lower right incisors and canine and was attached to neighbouring teeth. However, the researchers do not rule out that it could also serve as a replacement for lost teeth. Because of the thin structure, a full chewing function seems doubtful, so it is most likely that the denture had primarily aesthetic value.

Why it matters

Such findings show that concern for the appearance of teeth and attempts to correct dental problems existed long before modern dentistry. People of the past not only removed diseased teeth, but also looked for ways to cover up loss, damage, or signs of disease.

Dentures also spoke of social status. In the 18th and 19th centuries, dental care was expensive and not available to everyone. The authors of the study suggest that the person who owned the bridge could belong to a more affluent group, because the manufacture and installation of such a structure required skills and resources.

For archaeology, the find is also valuable because it was studied without destroying the object. The combination of micro-CT, X-rays and protein analysis made it possible to understand the structure, composition and possible origin of the material without damaging the rare object.

Background

Dental bridges are fixed structures that cover dental defects or replace missing teeth. In the past, they were made of different materials: bone, ivory, gold and other available substances. Such objects help to understand not only the development of medicine, but also people's attitudes towards the body, pain, appearance and social status.

In Portugal, archaeological finds of dentures are rare.

The new find is linked to the larger BeFRAIL project, which studies human vulnerability and health in 19th century Porto from archaeological material associated with the 3rd Order of Our Lady of Carmel. These sites were used between 1801 and 1869, a time of wars, epidemics and social upheaval.

Source

Steffi Vassallo et al, "A Smile From the Past: Exploring a Fixed Bone Dental Bridge From Eighteenth/Nineteenth Century Porto (Portugal)", International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2026.

The study describes the first known fixed bone dental bridge in Portuguese archaeology. The object was found in a burial in Porto, next to the remains of a young adult of undetermined sex. The bridge, measuring 24 × 6 × 12 mm, was made of bone from an animal of the mongrel family, had three artificial "teeth", holes for fixation and a small lead element inside.