Dental status of three Egyptian mummies: radiological investigation by multislice computerized tomography Alessandro Gerloni, DDS, a Fabio Cavalli, MD, b Fulvio Costantinides, MD, c Fulvia Costantinides, DDS, d Stefano Bonetti, MD, a and Corrado Paganelli, MD, DDS, a Brescia and Trieste, Italy UNIVERSITY OF BRESCIA, AZIENDA OSPEDALIERO-UNIVERSITARIA “OSPEDALI RIUNITI” OF TRIESTE, AND UNIVERSITY OF TRIESTE Objective. The aim of the study was to provide a paleopathologic and radiologic overview of the jaws and teeth of 3 Egyptian mummies preserved in the Civic Museum of History and Art in Trieste. Computerized tomography (CT) imaging and postprocessing techniques were used to examine the oral structures. Study design. A 16-slice CT scanner was used (Aquilion 16; Toshiba Medical Systems Europe, Zoetermeer, The Netherlands). Scans were obtained at high resolution. Orthogonal-plane and 3-dimensional (3D) reconstructions were created along with curved reconstructions of the lower and upper jaws. Determination of decayed/missing teeth (DMT) and decayed/missing/tooth surfaces (DMTs) were made with 3D images. Results. Analyses revealed differences in the embalming techniques and state of preservation of the bodies. Marked wear of the occlusal surfaces was a characteristic finding in all of the mummies. The DMT and DMTs were low compared with values for contemporary populations. Two mummies had fully erupted third molars. All mummies exhibited bone changes consistent with periodontitis. Conclusion. The CT evaluations of the oral structures of the mummies provided insight into the dental status and oral diseases of these ancient Egyptians. The low DMT and DMTs values and indications of periodontitis may be associated with the lifestyle of these Egyptians. The fully erupted and well aligned third molars may represent a morphologic adaptation of the arches to the muscular activity associated with grinding tough foods. (Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 2009;107:e58-e64) In Trieste, the Civic Museum of History and Art has several archaeologic collections, one of which is de- voted to Ancient Egypt and includes 3 mummies brought to Italy in the 19th century. The three mum- mies are of great interest to anthropologists, because the mummies are characterized by different states of preservation. Two of them (dating back to the XXIst dynasty) arrived at the museum in 1867 as a gift from 2 Greek merchants who lived in the city. The third mummy (donated to the museum by 2 Trieste citizens in 1873) dates to the Greek period and has an uniden- tified origin. 1 As stressed by Hoffmann et al., 2 “Before the advent of radiologic imaging, unwrapping and anatomic dis- section were the only means available for studying these ancient Egyptians.” Although radiography pro- vided information on mineralized tissues, with the ad- vent of computerized tomography (CT), it became pos- sible to study the soft tissues and internal cavities, in both sagittal and coronal planes. 3,4 Such CT imaging findings are important in paleoradiology, because hu- man remains of past cultures can be investigated with- out invasive “body-opening” autopsies. 5 Current post- processing algorithms enable the manipulation of CT data so that images can be generated in multiple planes and in 3-dimensional (3D) formats. This noninvasive radiologic technique to obtain 3D volume documenta- tion of the interior of the body has been named “vir- topsy.” 6 The documentation and analysis of postmortem cra- nial findings with CT imaging (virtopsy) of Egyptian mummies provides important information of historical, paleopathologic, and general interest, especially on cra- nial evisceration techniques and materials used for or- gan replacement. The oral and dental status of mum- mies can also be investigated with CT-based panoramic images similar to antemortem orthopantograms. 7 The aim of the present study was to provide a paleopatho- logic and radiologic overview of the jaw bones and dental status of 3 Egyptian mummies. a Dental School, University of Brescia. b Research Unit of Paleoradiology and Allied Sciences, Azienda Os- pedaliero—Universitaria “Ospedali Riuniti” of Trieste. c Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, University of Trieste. d Dental Clinic, University of Trieste. Received for publication Oct 10, 2008; returned for revision Dec 31, 2008; accepted for publication Feb 19, 2009. 1079-2104/$ - see front matter © 2009 Published by Mosby, Inc. doi:10.1016/j.tripleo.2009.02.031 e58