275-Million-Year-Old Terrestrial Reptile Suffered From Massive Oral Infection
Posted on April 18, 2011
A research team, led by Professor Robert Reisz, chair of the Department of Biology at the University of Toronto Mississauga, found evidence of bone damage due to oral infection in Paleozoic reptiles as they adapted to living on land. The image above shows a 275-million-year-old terrestrial reptile (Labidosaurus hamatus) from North America, which was suffering from a massive oral infection.
The researchers findings, published online in the journal Naturwissenschaften - The Nature of Science, predate the previous record for oral and dental disease in a terrestrial vertebrate by nearly 200 million years.
The researchers investigated the jaws of several well-preserved specimens of Labidosaurus hamatus. The specimen pictured above stood out because of missing teeth and associated erosion of the jaw bone. The animals' infection resulted in the loss of several teeth, as well as bone destruction in the jaw in the form of an abscess and internal loss of bone tissue.
The researchers say as ancestors of advanced reptiles adapted to life on land their teeth began to change so they could incorporate plants into their diet. Their dental pattern changed from teeth loosely attached to the jaw, which were continuously replaced, to teeth strongly attached to jaw that were not replaced. These teeth made it possible for the creatures to chew food and improve nutrient absorption. Unfortunately, it also increased the risk of infections of the jaw.
Professor Reisz notes that human susceptibility to oral infection has some parallels to these ancient reptiles that evolved to eat a diet of meat and plants.
Reisz says, "Our findings suggest that our own human system of having just two sets of teeth, baby and permanent, although of obvious advantage because of its ability to chew and process many different types of food, is more susceptible to infection than that of our distant ancestors that had a continuous cycle of tooth replacement."
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