DATE2026.06.09 #Press Releases
Past Japanese and their relationship with oral microorganisms as deciphered from tartar DNA
Disclaimer: machine translated by DeepL which may contain errors.
Phylogenetic Distribution of Periodontal Disease-Related Archaea and Traces of Tooth Blackening in the Edo Period
Summary of presentation
A research group led by Associate Professor Fuzuki Mizuno of the Department of Forensic Medicine, Toho University Faculty of Medicine, Graduate Student Yuki Kuriyama of The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Science, Emeritus Professor Shintaroh Ueda, and Professor Jun Ohashi has analyzed DNA left in the dental calculus of ancient human bones from the Japanese archipelago, mainly from the Edo period, to clarify the characteristics of the oral microbiome in the past. Dental calculus from archaic human skeletons contains a variety of DNA, including oral microbiomes of the time, and provides clues to understanding the lifestyle and health conditions of the people of the past.
In this study, we confirmed the differences in oral microorganisms contained in the dental calculus derived from archaic human bones and modern dental calculus, regional differences, and some bacterial lineages found between the Jomon and Edo periods. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis of periodontal disease-associated archaea M. oralis showed that M. oralis derived from female individuals with reported tooth black traces were all in the same clade.
The results indicate that microbial DNA in dental calculus provides new clues for examining the dietary habits, regional characteristics, cultural practices, and history of human-microbe relationships of past peoples.
Past oral microbiomes deciphered from dental tartar DNA
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Journals
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Scientific Reports
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