Radiography is commonly used in clinical and epidemiological studies of oral disease, but few
bioarchaeological studies employ this method. This may result in an underestimation of oral disease
occurrence because a proportion of lesions is undetectable macroscopically. This paper reviews the
value of oral radiography for bioarchaeological studies of oral health, including practicalities such as
equipment requirements and training in its safe use and in the interpretation of the radiographs. The
dental remains of adults (n = 80) from the prehistoric site of Ban Non Wat, Thailand, were examined
both visually and radiographically as a case study. The visual inspection used standard methods. After
a time interval, the dentitions were radiographed using a portable dental X-ray system equipped with
a digital sensor. Dental caries and alveolar cavities were evaluated using standardised radiographic
diagnostic criteria and compared with the evidence from visual observations. The results show that
158 ABSTRACTS / HOMO - Journal of Comparative Human Biology 64 (2013) 142–162
radiographic examination improved the detection of both oral lesions. Radiography detected dental
caries, particularly interproximal lesions and alveolar cavities that were either not visible on the bone
surface or obscured from visual inspection. These results indicate that supplementing visual assessment
of oral pathologies with radiography provides a more accurate representation of oral health.