Neanderthal dentists used stone drills nearly 60,000 years ago

Dreading your next trip to the dentist? It won't likely be as rough a visit as it was for a toothache-suffering Neanderthal some 59,000 years ago.

A tooth from that unfortunate soul has survived to the present day, and according to a new study based on that tooth, we now know that Neanderthals both had the knowledge to identify a tooth infection and the fine motor skills to drill out the damage.

This is the first time such behavior has been demonstrated outside of our species (homo sapiens), and it is the oldest example of such behavior by more than 40,000 years, the new study said.

An ancient tooth

The study is based on an ancient tooth, recently discovered inside a Siberian cave, which had signs of dental surgery that appears to have been performed with a small stone tool to both remove decay and relieve ‌pain.

Researchers said this tooth shows that Neanderthals were able to undertake complex dental procedures tens of thousands of years before our own homo sapiens species did − more evidence that demonstrates the cognitive abilities and technical skills of our extinct close cousins.

"This is important because it proves Neanderthals possessed sophisticated cognitive abilities, including planning, precise motor skills and deliberate medical strategy, challenging the outdated view that such complex behavior was exclusive to modern humans," study senior author Ksenia Kolobova said.

The study was published by Russian scientists in the open-access journal PLOS One on May 13.

Neanderthals' medical capabilities unclear

Archaeological discoveries have shown that Neanderthals used toothpicks to remove food from their teeth and might also have used medicinal plants, but the extent of their medical capabilities is unclear. In this study, researchers examined a Neanderthal tooth that was altered to treat an infection.

"This is consistent with modern understanding of the treatment of cavities, said anthropologist and study lead ‌author Alisa Zubova ⁠of the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography in St. Petersburg, Russia.

A single molar

The tooth is a single molar, discovered in Chagyrskaya Cave in Russia. In the center of the tooth is a deep hole extending into the pulp cavity.

The researchers conducted experiments on three modern human teeth to demonstrate that a hole of the same shape and same patterns of microscopic grooves can be created by drilling into the tooth with a stone point similar to tools that have been found within Chagyrskaya Cave.

The molar showed that the ​Neanderthal who underwent the dental procedure was an adult, though the researchers do not know the individual's gender.

'Family' dentist?

The Neanderthal with the infected molar "would have been in significant pain, perhaps unable to chew properly, which could lead to malnutrition or infection spreading to the jawbone," Kolobova told PLOS One.

"Another group member, possibly with experience in fine stone tool production," she added, "used a small perforator to carefully drill into the tooth."

This was not a sterile operating room, she said.

"The mouth is a difficult space to work in; you need good manual dexterity, patience, and a helper who can hold the head still. I think this happened within a close social bond, possibly between family members."

Contributing: Reuters

Doyle Rice is a national correspondent for USA TODAY, with a focus on weather and climate.