**7. Acknowledgment**

54 Contemporary Approach to Dental Caries

Thurzo, 2008). This last remark corroborates our comparisons with the biological groups,

Even if this study raises only some trends and being aware of its limits, we do not want misinterpret, the relation to age and indirect influence of the socioeconomic status on defects and lesions are obvious. We must find now the methodological and theoretical framework

The goal of the present research was to obtain information about the influence of the socioeconomic status on dental health and development by determining the prevalence and characteristics of enamel hypoplasia and caries in two Great Moravian populations at

Mikulčice Bazilika 0 41 **0.85** 0 0.00 1 0.02 6 0.13 48 1-4 83 **0.83** 0 0.00 9 0.09 8 0.08 100 5-9 24 **0.70** 1 0.03 8 0.24 1 0.03 34 10-14 12 **0.66** 1 0.06 2 0.11 3 0.17 18 15-19 6 **1.00** 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 6 ND 10 **0.91** 0 0.00 0 0.00 1 0.09 11 Total 176 **0.81** 2 0.01 20 0.09 19 0.09 217 Mikulčice Kostelisko 0 36 **1.00** 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 36 1-4 63 **0.82** 3 0.04 1 0.01 10 0.13 77 5-9 15 0.28 20 **0.37** 1 0.02 18 0.33 54 10-14 8 **0.38** 8 **0.38** 2 0.10 3 0.14 21 15-19 2 0.22 3 **0.33** 1 0.11 3 **0.33** 9 ND 31 0.25 1 0.25 1 0.25 1 0.25 4 Total 155 **0.66** 35 0.15 6 0.03 35 0.15 231 Prušánky 0 48 **1.00** 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 48 1-4 59 **0.91** 0 0.00 2 0.03 4 0.06 65 5-9 11 0.36 6 0.19 1 0.03 14 **0.44** 32 10-14 2 0.20 5 **0.50** 2 0.20 1 0.10 10 15-19 0 0.00 0 0.00 1 **0.50** 1 **0.50** 2 ND 16 **1.00** 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 16 Total 136 **0.79** 11 0.06 6 0.03 36 0.12 173 CAR 0: absence of caries; CAR 1: presence of caries; LEH 0: absence of hypoplasia; LEH 1: presence of

Table 5. Prevalence of caries against LEH per age group in the three collections (the highest

CAR0 / LEH0 CAR1 / LEH1 CAR1 / LEH0 CAR0 / LEH1 Total *n* Frequency *n* Frequency *n* Frequency *n* Frequency

which show that juveniles are more likely to develop both traits on permanent teeth.

to prove them.

**6. Conclusion** 

Collection / Age group

Mikulčice and Prušánky.

linear hypoplasia; ND: non defined age-at-death.

frequencies are in bold)

We thank M. Bessou, and M. Jantač for their assistance with various phases of this study, especially for the radiographs used in dental age estimation. We also thank the Horní Počernice warehouse team and the National Museum of Prague for its welcome at each mission. Statistical analysis for the software of age-at-death estimation was carried out by V. Honkimaki (ESRF, Grenoble), and without him, the new approach would never have been developed. Thanks also go to P. Sellier, and L. Poláček for their discussions on historical background, and on dental defect scoring. We are also grateful to Mrs. Batby for reading and commenting on the manuscript. Special thanks to my husband for his help with the images processing. To all of these people and institutions we are immensely grateful.
