TriCEM is hosting a breakfast featuring Dr. Peter Ungar of the University of Arkansas. He will be giving a lecture titled Evolutionary perspectives on oral health: The dental evidence.
January 31, 2019, 8:00-9:30 am
If you are interested in attending the breakfast, please email Grace Farley at grace.farley@duke.edu, as TriCEM breakfasts are by invitation only.
More information on Dr. Ungar’s research can be found here: https://ungarlab.uark.edu
Abstract: “Many of the dental issues we face today can be related to a mismatch between the oral environments in which we live now and those in which our ancestors’ teeth evolved. This presentation will consider rates of caries/periodontal disease, dental crowding/malocclusion, and incidence of linear enamel hypoplasia in this context. High prevalence of cavities and gum disease followed increased carbohydrate consumption, particularly corn-based and highly refined sugars associated with the agricultural and industrial revolutions, respectively. Crooked and impacted teeth followed decrease in jaw strain, and resultant reduction in growth, given a switch from mechanically challenging diets to consumption of soft, processed foods. A specific example comparing oral health in the last remaining hunter-gatherers in Africa (bush Hadza) with their settled relatives is discussed.”
