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Is tooth decay just a modern affliction? Read the answer and have your say.

The next time you flinch at the sound of the dentist's drill and the price of the procedure, keep in mind our ancestors didn't have modern anaesthetics to dull the pain.

Tooth decay may seem like a modern affliction, but it's not, says Dr Estelle Lazer, forensic archaeologist from the University of Sydney, who has worked with human remains from sites such as Pompeii and Cyprus.

The extent of dental decay seen in ancient people depended upon their diet and dental hygiene - just as it does today.

After death however, teeth become the most durable part of the body, which explains why they are often found with ancient skeletons.

"Teeth decay easily in life, but once death occurs it stops," says Dr Lazer explaining that the bacteria that cause dental decay cannot survive after death.

"Teeth tend to survive well. Some for tens of thousands of years," she says.

Dental remains are a common feature in archaeological digs, although often many teeth are missing - they may have been lost prior to death, dropped out or they may have been lost in the excavation process.

The burial site can also play a role - skeletons preserved in very dry or very wet condition tend to survive well, says Dr Lazer.

And there is evidence of dentistry in ancient times too. Ancient Egyptian texts refer to gum disease and dental procedures such as tooth extraction and fixation of the teeth and jaws with wires. The Etruscans used dental prosthetics such as gold crowns and false teeth.

Today, teeth play an important role in forensic science. Because of their durability even under high heat, they are often used to identify people when no other form of identification remains. A person can be identified by anything from dental work to the pattern of the roots of the teeth.

So, modern dental procedures combined with good diet and dental hygiene can pay off in life as well as death - even if it seems your dentist is the only one who benefits at the time.