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Nelson Historical Society Journal, Volume 6, Issue 4, 2001

Pre European

page 7

Pre European

The earliest Maori inhabitants of Nelson were affected by caries and periodontal disease. Their relatively soft diet of kumara, yam, fish, birds, especially the moa, and seals, resulted in only moderate tooth wear. Teeth were lost through the ravages of decay, and edentulousness was common over the age of forty.

Around 1500 AD a major change occurred. The climate became colder and the diet, in consequence, much more limited, especially as much of the bird life had already been eaten. Fern root, gritty shellfish and other hard foods came to dominate the Maori diet. Increasing population also strained existing food resources, adding further to the monotony and harshness of the diet. Consequently, tooth wear increased dramatically, while caries virtually disappeared. Teeth, especially those in the back of the mouth, were completely worn out by the time Maoris of the classical period reached the age of twenty. European observers, such as Captain Cook, frequently misjudged the age of Maoris, as their toothless state made them appear to be much older than was really the case.

From the late eighteenth century, however, the pattern began to change once more, as the potato and kumara came to constitute a much greater part of the Maori diet. Tooth wear decreased, but caries and periodontal disease returned. Softer European foods, and sugar, tobacco and alcohol, coupled with a less active and healthy life style were the cause for this further deterioration. In short 'civilisation' had undermined the natural health of the Maori. Apart from chewing of fern roots, which had a natural cleansing effect on the teeth, little is known of early Maori attempts at oral health measures.

The Maori did, however, make good use of herbal remedies, using the extracts from bark, leaves and roots of native plants. The kawakawa, or pepper tree, was used to relieve toothache, as was the matipo or mapau, using a liquid made from boiling the leaves. To ease pain, a decoction of manuka or kanuka leaves was used, and similar use was made of the inner bark of the pukatea, which was steeped in hot water and placed over page 8the painful area. The boiled leaves of the koromiko hebe was used for a mouth wash and gargle.