Identification of Areca catechu (betel nut) residues on the dentitions of Bronze Age inhabitants of Nui Nap, northern Vietnam

Marc F. Oxenham; Cornelia Locher; Nguyen Lan Cuong; Nguyen Kim Thuy

doi:10.1006/jasc.2001.0767

Identification of Areca catechu (betel nut) residues on the dentitions of Bronze Age inhabitants of Nui Nap, northern Vietnam

Marc F. Oxenham^*, Cornelia Locher, Nguyen Lan Cuong, Nguyen Kim Thuy

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

37 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The dentitions of 31 individuals excavated from the Bronze Age site Nui Nap, Thanh Hoa province, Vietnam were examined for the presence of Areca catechu (betel nut) residues. The chief investigatory method involved GC/MS analysis of a dark reddish-brown stain commonly observed on the labial aspect of the anterior teeth of individuals from this site. The results of this work indicate that these teeth were stained by way of betel nut. Enamel surface morphology and the distribution of staining suggests purposeful application of betel nut residues to the teeth, perhaps for aesthetic reasons.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	909-915
Number of pages	7
Journal	Journal of Archaeological Science
Volume	29
Issue number	9
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1006/jasc.2001.0767
Publication status	Published - Sept 2002
Externally published	Yes

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title = "Identification of Areca catechu (betel nut) residues on the dentitions of Bronze Age inhabitants of Nui Nap, northern Vietnam",

abstract = "The dentitions of 31 individuals excavated from the Bronze Age site Nui Nap, Thanh Hoa province, Vietnam were examined for the presence of Areca catechu (betel nut) residues. The chief investigatory method involved GC/MS analysis of a dark reddish-brown stain commonly observed on the labial aspect of the anterior teeth of individuals from this site. The results of this work indicate that these teeth were stained by way of betel nut. Enamel surface morphology and the distribution of staining suggests purposeful application of betel nut residues to the teeth, perhaps for aesthetic reasons.",

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AU - Oxenham, Marc F.

AU - Locher, Cornelia

AU - Cuong, Nguyen Lan

AU - Thuy, Nguyen Kim

PY - 2002/9

Y1 - 2002/9

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AB - The dentitions of 31 individuals excavated from the Bronze Age site Nui Nap, Thanh Hoa province, Vietnam were examined for the presence of Areca catechu (betel nut) residues. The chief investigatory method involved GC/MS analysis of a dark reddish-brown stain commonly observed on the labial aspect of the anterior teeth of individuals from this site. The results of this work indicate that these teeth were stained by way of betel nut. Enamel surface morphology and the distribution of staining suggests purposeful application of betel nut residues to the teeth, perhaps for aesthetic reasons.

KW - Betel nut

KW - GC/MS

KW - SEM

KW - Teeth

KW - Vietnam

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IS - 9

ER -

Identification of Areca catechu (betel nut) residues on the dentitions of Bronze Age inhabitants of Nui Nap, northern Vietnam

Abstract

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