First evidence of Neandertal dentistry found in ancient molar

First evidence of Neandertal dentistry found in ancient molar Skip to content Subscribe today Every print subscription comes with full digital access Subscribe Now By Tom Metcalfe May 13, 2026 at 2:00 pm Share this: Share Share via email (Opens in new window) Email Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit Share on X (Opens in new window) X Print (Opens in new window) Print Listen to this article This is a human-written story voiced by AI. Got feedback? Take our survey . (See our AI policy here .) An ancient human molar shows that Neandertals sometimes drilled out infected teeth with stone tools — suggesting they may have known the treatment could ease extreme tooth pain. The 59,000-year-old tooth was unearthed from the Chagyrskaya Cave in the Altai Mountains of Siberia. It is the oldest evidence of primitive dentistry ever found, eclipsing the old record by more than 40,000 years, researchers report in PLOS One . It is also the first time any evidence of tooth surgery has been discovered in hominids other than modern Homo sapiens. The find “suggests both the manual dexterity and cognitive capability” needed for Neandertals to successfully carry out such an operation, says archaeologist John Olsen, an anthropologist at the University of Arizona in Tuscon. The molar was found deep in sediment in 2016, but its importance was only recently recognized. It has a massive hole that has been drilled from the chewing surface to the pulp cavity near its roots. Microscopic analysis indicates the hole was drilled by a stone tool, and the condition of the remaining tooth suggests the ancient dental operation was performed to remove infected tissue — decaying enamel and material from the inner tooth. Examinations of the drilled-out tooth also revealed a groove made by pieces of wood used as toothpicks, likely to ease the pain of the infection. Another Neandertal tooth from the same cave shows its owner also suffered