A Case of Early Childhood Caries from Late Roman Ancaster, England

This paper presents a differential diagnosis of pathological changes observed in the deciduous dentition of a child aged 3-4 years, recovered from a Late Roman (c. AD 270-410) cemetery at Ancaster, England. The entire maxillary dentition exhibited areas of missing enamel and erosion of the underlying dentine, which was most pronounced at the lingual surfaces of the anterior teeth, and lingual and occlusal surfaces of the molars. Additionally, the mandibular second molars and mandibular right first molar displayed superficial enamel erosion of the buccal surfaces. Radiography indicated normal enamel density, and no further dental pathology was identified. Conditions considered in a differential diagnosis included amelogenesis imperfecta, fluorosis, perimolysis, xerostomia-related caries and early childhood caries (ECC). The nature and distribution of lesions implicates ECC - also known as 'nursing caries' or 'baby-bottle caries' - as the most probable diagnosis. The potential significance of the findings for studies of infant health and feeding practices in past populations is discussed. Copyright (C) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.