Original paper
Dental evidence of human remains of a Slavic soldier population deported in concentration camps during World War II
Mele, Federica; De Donno, Antonio; Sablone, Sara; Leggio, Alessia; Introna, Francesco; Santoro, Valeria
Anthropologischer Anzeiger Volume 79 No. 4 (2022), p. 475 - 480
published: Aug 25, 2022
published online: Apr 11, 2022
manuscript accepted: Mar 9, 2022
manuscript revision received: Mar 9, 2022
manuscript revision requested: Oct 12, 2021
manuscript received: Jul 10, 2021
DOI: 10.1127/anthranz/2022/1547
ArtNo. ESP140007904008, Price: 29.00 €
Abstract
Aims: The aim of this paper was to analyse post-mortem dental records of a collection of 93 skeletal remains exhumed from the ossuary of Bari Municipal Cemetery, Apulia, Italy. These skeletal remains belonged to Slavic soldiers deported in 1941 during World War II in two Italian concentration camps and who died in 1946–1947. Methods: A total number of 1949 teeth were analysed according to the American Board of Forensic Odontology and the WHO methods. The majority of the victims were men (95%) between the age of 18 and 62. Results: The results showed the dental health situation of a population of soldiers of World War II, in particular the high rate of caries (35%), periodontal disease (61%), and dental wear (65%) according to the high stress level of the soldiers during the armed conflict and the subsequent deportation. Conclusions: This is the first study reported in literature that analyses the effects of war and deportation on soldiers’ pathological conditions of the oral cavity. This analysis also confirmed the usefulness of teeth for anthropological and forensic research thanks to their high resistance and preservation even after post-mortem modifications and different environmental factors.
Keywords
World War II • anthropological research • dental examination • forensic odontology