Dental caries and antemortem tooth loss in two osteological assemblages from Yucatán, Mexico: A biosocial comparison within a structural vulnerability framework

IntroductionDental caries and antemortem tooth loss (AMTL) are common clinical and bioarchaeological findings but are seldom examined through historically contextualized frameworks of structural vulnerability. Study aim(s)This study compares individual-level frequencies of dentin-involving caries and AMTL and descriptively examines caries severity and lesion location in two Yucatecan osteological assemblages: Pixoy, an 18th to 19th century assemblage associated with a rural Maya community and interpreted primarily within its 19th century context, particularly in relation to the period preceding and surrounding the Caste War, and Xoclán, a late 20th to early 21st century documented urban sample. Material(s) and MethodsThe study comprised 146 mandibles: 69 from Pixoy and 77 from Xoclán. Antemortem tooth loss was identified through alveolar remodeling, while carious lesions were classified according to dentin involvement, severity, and anatomical location. Individual-level comparisons used Pearson’s chi-square tests or Fisher’s exact tests; tooth- and lesion-level distributions were analyzed descriptively. ResultsRecorded individual-level frequencies of dentin-involving caries and AMTL were significantly higher in Xoclán (80.5% and 83.1%, respectively) than in Pixoy (63.8% and 46.4%; p = 0.023 and p < 0.001, respectively). Descriptively, interproximal and root-surface lesions represented greater proportions in Xoclán, whereas occlusal lesions predominated in Pixoy. Conclusion(s)These contrasts must be interpreted in relation to age composition, preservation, and historically distinct food environments and opportunities for dental care. Joint consideration of caries and AMTL provides a contextualized biosocial perspective on oral-disease accumulation within a structural vulnerability framework.