Abstract: This paper describes human dental caries from the Hongshan culture at Niuheliang sites in Liaoning Province. Thirty-one pieces of human bone were surveyed of 15 males, 10 females, and 6 of unknown sex. Some 425 fragments of human teeth were also analysed including 204 maxillary teeth and 221 mandibular teeth. The following conclusions were determined: the prevalence rate of Niuheliang populations was 16.13%, whereas the dental caries rate was 1.41%, with neither rate showing any significance differences between the sexes, even though both rates tended to increase gradually with age. The caries rate of the maxillary teeth was higher than the mandibular teeth, with most dental caries appearing in molars. Compared to other ancient populations, the Niuheliang group has lower prevalence and dental caries rates, which may imply that the hunting and gathering as opposed to agriculture was the primary mode of their economy.

Key words: Hongshan; Niuheliang; Dental caries; Agriculture; Hunting; Gathering