Date of Award
5-2025
Degree Type
Honors College Thesis
Academic Program
Biological Sciences BS
Department
Biological Sciences
First Advisor
Dr. Marie Danforth
Advisor Department
Anthropology and Sociology
Abstract
Tobacco smoking was a deeply rooted tradition in Maya society, often associated with ritual and daily life, and may have contributed to patterns of dental health. However, despite its cultural significance, direct biological evidence of tobacco use in ancient populations is rare. This study addresses that gap by analyzing nicotine residues preserved in dental calculus from the Tipu Maya, offering new insight into both cultural practices and potential health impacts.
Mass spectrometry identified molecular peaks corresponding to nicotine and its degradation products within the calculus samples. Analysis revealed that over two-thirds of the individuals tested positive for nicotine, supporting the idea that tobacco use was a routine part of life at Tipu. Interestingly, nicotine was detected in nearly equal levels in both males and females, challenging the assumption that tobacco use would be more common among men due to their greater involvement in religious rituals. The study also explored whether nicotine exposure correlated with poorer oral health. Individuals with nicotine-positive calculus exhibited slightly higher rates of caries, periodontitis, and ante-mortem tooth loss (AMTL), although none of these associations reached statistical significance. However, the mean Index of Oro-dental Disease (IOD) score was essentially the same between those with and without nicotine in their calculus.
These findings offer biological evidence of the ability to detect nicotine—and by extension, tobacco use—in human remains. Moreover, this study is among the first to compare nicotine detection directly with markers of dental disease, providing new insights into the potential health impacts of tobacco use in past populations. They also demonstrate widespread tobacco use in the Tipu Maya and suggest that smoking may have played a role in oral health outcomes, adding a new dimension to our understanding of both ancient Maya culture and health.
Copyright
Copyright for this thesis is owned by the author. It may be freely accessed by all users. However, any reuse or reproduction not covered by the exceptions of the Fair Use or Educational Use clauses of U.S. Copyright Law or without permission of the copyright holder may be a violation of federal law. Contact the administrator if you have additional questions.
Recommended Citation
Byrd, Emily, "Smoking and Oral Health in the Tipu Maya: A Study of Nicotine in Dental Calculus" (2025). Honors Theses. 1063.
https://aquila.usm.edu/honors_theses/1063