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Dental Anthropology  2019 │ Volume 32 │ Issue 02 

 
This special edition of Dental Anthropology is based 
on a symposium from the 2018 American Associa-
tion of Physical Anthropologists annual meeting en-
titled, Reevaluating the Meaning of ‘Oral Health’ in Bio-
archaeology that I co-chaired with James P. Fancher.  
The goal of this symposium was to begin a dialogue 
on how oral health is defined and evaluated in a bio-
archaeological context.  Invited participants explored 
definitions and interpretations of this term within 
their own work.  Out of the initial discussion at this 
symposium, presentations were turned into the 
manuscripts presented here.  The volume begins 
with an outline of various conditions that are tradi-
tionally used in studies of oral health.  The articles 
that follow explore traditional markers of oral 
health, predominately focused on periodontal dis-
ease and dental caries.  Interpretations are then nu-
anced within a biocultural context using the archaeo-
logical record and what is known abut the etiology 
and progression of these conditions. 
 
The resulting volume is a thoughtful evaluation of 
how oral health can be studied in bioarchaeology. 
The hope is that discussions will continue and fur-
ther questions will be raised about bioarchaeological 
research and its limitations.  With particular atten-
tion to terminology, the limits of diagnoses, the inte-
gration of clinical literature, and the development of 
advanced methods of study.   
 
Thanks to the many authors who contributed to this 
volume and those who contributed to the initial 
symposium.  Their work, discussions, and contribu-
tions to this journal are appreciated and will serve to 
grow the study of pathological conditions of the oral 
cavity and contribute to a better understanding of 
oral heath in the past. 
 
 
MARIN A. PILLOUD 
Editor of Dental Anthropology 
Department of Anthropology 
University of Nevada, Reno 
Reno, NV 89557 

 
 

EDITOR’S NOTE ON SPECIAL  
EDITION ON ORAL HEALTH