Elites in Panama were using complex herbal resin to fill their teeth over 1,000 years ago.
March 19, 2026
Original Paper
Evidence of Intentional Dental Treatment in a High-Status Individual from the Pre-Columbian Site of El Caño, Panama (ca. 750–1100 C.E.)
SSRN · 6438162
The Takeaway
Archaeological evidence from high-status graves shows early Americans were performing intentional dental work to treat cavities. The use of specific resins and mineral additives suggests an advanced, organized dental practice existed centuries earlier than expected.
From the abstract
This study presents the earliest direct evidence of intentional dental treatment among the pre-Columbian Coclé population interred at the El Caño Necropolis (Panama). The analysis focuses on four teeth from Individual I10, a high-status adult male buried in Tomb T9 (773–896 cal CE), which contained a yellowish filling material within advanced carious lesions. Microscopic examination through radiography, digital microscopy, and SEM-Backscattered electron (BSE) revealed no evidence of mechanical p