Dental caries in an Early Cretaceous ichthyosaur

A single anterior dentary tooth, recovered with a near complete juvenile ichthyosaur skull from the Early Cretaceous (upper Albian) Hughenden-Richmond region of northern Queensland, has revealed the presence of a potential dental caries (tooth decay) infection. Dental caries is a disease affecting hard dental structures including the cementum and results in cavitation. The implications of dental caries development on tooth replacement and feeding in Cretaceous ichthyosaurs are discussed.