Analysis of oral conditions to explore subsistence strategies in the ecologically diverse environments of the Canary Islands during the Amazigh period (1st to 15th centuries CE)

Objective:

This study examines oral health conditions in the pre-European Amazigh population of the Canary Islands (1st–15th centuries) to uncover patterns linked to island-specific environments and subsistence practices. The Canary Islands offered diverse ecological settings that shaped how the Amazigh adapted their agricultural practices, creating landscapes to support settlement.

Design:

By analyzing the oral health of 615 adult individuals across seven major islands—including caries, dental wear, calculus, periodontal disease, and antemortem tooth loss—the study identifies three distinct patterns of oral health within the archipelago.

Results:

Gran Canaria exhibited the highest prevalence of dental caries, aligning with an agriculture-centered lifestyle. In contrast, La Gomera, Fuerteventura, and Lanzarote showed the lowest caries rates, suggesting less agricultural dependence. El Hierro and La Palma populations presented both high caries prevalence and extensive dental wear, likely due to a diet including famine-related foods like fern roots. The findings also indicate sex-based differences in oral health across islands but no significant distinctions by age.

Conclusions:

These patterns highlight a relationship between the diverse biogeography of the islands, subsistence strategies, and oral health in the Amazigh period. This study contributes valuable insights into how different environments and resource availability impacted the diet and health of the Canary Islands’ Amazigh populations.