Oral status of a noble European couple from the 16th century: A morphologic analysis of the teeth of Alessandro Farnese and of his wife Maria D'Aviz

Objective. To report the results of dental morphological analysis performed on the remains of two European nobles (Duke Alessandro Farnese and his wife Maria D’Aviz) who lived in the 16th century, together with hypotheses on their nutrition and oral hygiene habits.
Design and results. The remains of Alessandro Farnese (1545–1592) and Princess Maria D'Aviz (1538–1577) were exhumed in Parma, Italy, in the context of an historical investigation into their possible causes of death.
The skulls were examined and analysed through direct inspection, high-detailed photographs and radiographs. Ante mortem tooth loss (AMTL), postmortem tooth loss (PMTL), Scott and Smith dental wear indexes and the Kerr periodontal index were used to assess the dental and periodontal status of the couple. Alessandro Farnese suffered from severe dental wear while it was presumed that Maria D’Aviz was affected by periodontal disease and tooth decay.
Conclusions. Based on the findings of the present analysis, we hypothesise that Alessandro Farnese’s diet was mainly based on hard and unrefined foods, also suggested by limited historical reports. It is likely that Maria D’Aviz’s nutrition was based on sugar-enriched foods.