The dawn of dentistry in the late upper Paleolithic: An early case of pathological intervention at Riparo Fredian

Early evidence for the treatment of dental pathology is found primarily among foodproducing societies associated with high levels of oral pathology. However, some Late Pleistocene hunter-gatherers show extensive oral pathology, suggesting that experimentation with therapeutic dental interventions may have greater antiquity. Here, we report the second earliest probable evidence for dentistry in a Late Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherer recovered from Riparo Fredian (Tuscany, Italy).