ʻO nā kāhiko niho Maya i hana ʻia me ka jade, ke gula a me nā metala makamae a me nā pōhaku, ʻaʻole paha i hāʻawi wale i ka "gloss" i kā lākou mau mea nona, akā ua lawelawe pū kekahi i mea e pale ai i ka caries a me ka maʻi periodontal. ʻO kēia waiwai i loaʻa i ka sima, i hoʻopili ʻia i nā niho o kēia nani a pau, wahi a nā ʻepekema mai Mexico a me ʻAmelika Hui Pū ʻIa.
Ua ʻike ka poʻe noiʻi o ka moʻomeheu Mayan ua makemake nui nā ʻelele kahiko o kēia poʻe i ka hāʻawi ʻana i kā lākou ʻakaʻaka i ka nani hou, ʻo ia hoʻi, ʻo lākou i ko lākou mau niho a i ʻole nā lua i hoʻokomo ʻia i loko o lākou e hoʻokomo i nā "hoʻopiha" o ka jade, gula, turquoise, jet a hematite. Ua hana ʻia kēia no nā hana kuʻuna: ua hoʻopili ʻia ka hoʻopiha piha ʻana i nā incisors a me nā ʻīlio i ka wā o ke kanaka makua, ua noho pū lākou me ke kanaka no ke ola a he ʻano ʻuhane paha.
Hoʻopili ʻia kēia nani a pau i nā niho me ke kōkua o ka sima kūikawā. Ua aʻo ʻia kona ʻano e ka poʻe ʻepekema mai Autonomous University of Yucatan (Mexico), a me Harvard a me Brown Universities (USA). Ua hōʻike lākou i kā lākou ʻike ma ka puke pai Archaeological Science: Reports. Ua lawe ʻia nā niho i kālai ʻia mai nā kahua archaeological ma Guatemala, Belize a me Honduras.
I loko o ke aʻo ʻana, ua ʻike ka poʻe ʻepekema i 150 mau molekala organik i loaʻa mau i nā resins mea kanu. Ma muli o ka wahi i hoʻokumu ʻia ai ka niho, ʻo ka sima, e like me ka mea i ʻike ʻia, he ʻano ʻokoʻa iki o nā mea, akā ua like nā mea nui.
Ua ikaika loa ko lakou hui ana. Hiki ke hoʻomaopopo ʻia, no ka mea, ua ola nā niho i hoʻopaʻa ʻia me nā mea nani a hiki i kēia lā. Ua ʻike pū nā kānaka ʻepekema ʻaʻole i hana ʻia kēlā mau blotches ma nā niho e ka poʻe waiwai wale nō, akā e nā ʻelele pū kekahi o nā papa kūleʻa maikaʻi ʻole. A me na kane a me na wahine.
Akā ʻo ka hopena nui o nā mea kākau o ka hana e pili ana i nā waiwai therapeutic o ka sima. Ua ʻike ʻia he hopena hoʻōla a maʻemaʻe kāna. ʻO ka hui hoʻopili, e like me ka poʻe noiʻi, hiki ke hōʻemi i ka hopena o ka mumū a me nā maʻi i loko o ka waha, ʻoiai ʻo kekahi o kāna mau mea nui he pine resin, nona nā waiwai antibacterial.
Ua hoʻopaʻa ʻia ʻelua o nā hoʻopihapiha ʻewalu me ka hui ʻana i loaʻa ka sclareolide, kahi huahana kūlohelohe i loaʻa mai nā kumu mea kanu like ʻole, me ka sage a me ka paka. Loaʻa i kēia mea nā hopena antibacterial a me antifungal. Eia kekahi, ʻala maikaʻi, no laila hoʻohana pinepine ʻia i ka mea ʻala. Eia kekahi, ua loaʻa i nā kānaka ʻepekema i ka ʻaila ciment o nā mea kanu o ka ʻohana mint, a he hopena anti-inflammatory.
Ua hana ʻia ka ʻeli ʻana me ka mākaukau no laila ʻaʻole ia e pili i ke aʻalolo a me nā kīʻaha koko i waenakonu o ka niho. Ma ke ala, ʻike nā archaeologists ua mahalo ka poʻe Mayans i ka hoʻomaʻemaʻe niho, no laila ʻike ʻia nā hopena o nā ʻepekema: ʻaʻole hiki ke hoʻohui ʻia ka sima ʻaʻole wale i ka hoʻoponopono ʻana i nā metala a me nā pōhaku makamae, akā no ka pale ʻana i ka caries a me ka maʻi periodontal.
