Frailty among the non-survivors: Assessing the effects of urban living on infant and maternal health through a comparative study of dental stress markers between two Dutch post medieval populations.

Urbanization and urban living not only reshaped the social, cultural, political, and economical aspects of European societies, but also had a great impact on people’s health. These effects can be observed in the archaeological record through the analysis of skeletal remains from urban sites by comparing them to their rural counterparts. Although multiple studies have focused on investigating the effects of urbanization and urban living, few have researched the impact of urban living on infants, children, and maternal health. Therefore, this research focuses on assessing the effects of urban living in infant and maternal health during post medieval times in the Netherlands through the comparison of oral stress indicators from a rural (Middenbeemster) and an urban (Arnhem) collection of post-medieval Dutch non-adults and adults. To do so, frequencies and age-at-formation of linear enamel hypoplasia, as well as frequency of dental caries were recorded and analyzed for permanent and...Show moreUrbanization and urban living not only reshaped the social, cultural, political, and economical aspects of European societies, but also had a great impact on people’s health. These effects can be observed in the archaeological record through the analysis of skeletal remains from urban sites by comparing them to their rural counterparts. Although multiple studies have focused on investigating the effects of urbanization and urban living, few have researched the impact of urban living on infants, children, and maternal health. Therefore, this research focuses on assessing the effects of urban living in infant and maternal health during post medieval times in the Netherlands through the comparison of oral stress indicators from a rural (Middenbeemster) and an urban (Arnhem) collection of post-medieval Dutch non-adults and adults. To do so, frequencies and age-at-formation of linear enamel hypoplasia, as well as frequency of dental caries were recorded and analyzed for permanent and deciduous teeth, using age-categorical data to compare them between rural and urban individuals. The results from this research demonstrate that urban living had a negative impact on infant and maternal health, as found from the dental markers associated to the prenatal period. In addition, this research has shown that analyzing dental caries in deciduous teeth can demonstrate the maternal-infant relationship after birth, and that dental caries can be used as a proxy to determine frailty and resiliency of non-adult individuals.Show less

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Frailty among the non-survivors: Assessing the effects of urban living on infant and maternal health through a comparative study of dental stress markers between two Dutch post medieval populations.