Drilling teeth has ancient roots

WASHINGTON – Scientists have now proven what patients in dentists’ chairs have often thought: Drilling teeth is downright prehistoric.

Dentists drilled nearly perfect tiny holes in the teeth of live patients between 7,500 and 9,000 years ago, according to carbon-dating of skulls unearthed in a Pakistan graveyard.

That means dentistry is at least 4,000 years older than first thought – and far older than the useful invention of anesthesia. The discovery of the dental work is described today in the journal Nature.

This was no mere tooth tinkering. The 11 drilled teeth found in the remote graveyard were hard-to-reach molars. And in at least one instance, the ancient dentist managed to drill a hole in the inside back end of a tooth, boring out toward the front of the mouth.

The holes went as deep as one-seventh of an inch (3.5 millimeters).

“The holes were so perfect, so nice,” said study co-author David Frayer, an anthropology professor at the University of Kansas. “I showed the pictures to my dentist and he thought they were amazing holes.”

The dentistry, which probably evolved from intricate ornamental bead drilling also practiced in the area, went on for about 1,500 years until about 5500 B.C.