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In this study, 97 individuals from Prague-Zličín, in central Bohemia, Czech Republic, were scored for basic dental features, including dental caries, prevalence of dental enamel hypoplasia (DEH), and dental wear patterns, in order to discover basic characteristics of their diet, and the extent of nonspecific stressors (i.e. indicators of metabolic and nutritional disruptions) during the Migration Period (5th century AD). The sample is comprised of 18 subadults (0–14 year-old) and 79 adult individuals over 15 years, with a total number of 1129 permanent and 111 deciduous teeth. Values of caries intensity were 21.0 and its frequency 59.5. Higher values of caries intensity were found in males (24.0) than in the female population (21.3). The most frequent type of dental caries was found in the mesial and distal facets of the cemento-enamel junction and smooth surfaces of the crown (64.1%), which may be connected with deteriorated oral hygiene in this series. The 9.8% of dental caries located on the occlusal surface of the crown can be interpreted, together with the proven low dental wear, as the existence of a softer diet during this Migration period than in the former Neolithic period. DEH was present at a high frequency (32.2% of all examined individuals), but nearly all of these records of past stressors in childhood have only short-term acute forms in the way of lines or grooves. Only one single case provided evidence for a chronic form of DEH. The timing of linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) studied in 13 individuals provides an assessment of the occurrence and frequency of age when LEH formed. Overall anthropological analysis suggests a relative high number of indicators of environmental stressors related to the prevalence of dental caries, pre-mortem tooth loss and the prevalence scores of DEH. IANSA 2016 ● VII/1 ● 33–54 Ivana Jarošová: An Investigation of Dental Health in the Migration Period: A Case Study from Prague-Zličín, Czech Republic 34 processes (Kilian et al. 1999). The emergence of caries depends on the susceptibility of dental tissues (constitutional and genetic factors, sex, and age), the composition of oral microflora (dental plaque microorganisms are cariogenic), nutrition factors and time, i.e. the frequency and duration of interaction, which is also closely related with oral hygiene (Kilian et al. 1999; Wotke 2001). The dependence of dental cariosity on the food composition of historical populations has been a topic treated by many authors (e.g. Lillie 1996; Saunders et al. 1997; Lingström, Borrman 1999). Palaeolithic and Mesolithic hunter-gatherers show the lowest caries rate; in Neolithic populations that began to settle down and switch to an agricultural way of life, caries rates gradually increased. This was connected with a transition to other types of food, which, over the course of centuries, and in contrast to preceding periods, contained more sugar; this food was also more elaborately prepared and relieved of undesirable ingredients such that the roughage content in food was gradually reduced (Caselitz 1998, 205). Dental wear is the loss of the dental surface due to external mechanical forces, above all in connection with food. The degree of dental wear depends not only on the coarseness of particles, but also on the condition of dental surfaces, because particles stick easier to a roughened surface than to a smooth one (Mair et al. 1996; Mair 1999). Further, there is also a peculiar form of wear that is concentrated to one single tooth or a group of teeth. This type of wear is mostly caused by objects coming in contact with teeth, and these processes are designated collectively as influences due to an individual’s profession. The deterioration of environmental factors can result in a disturbed physiological balance – not only in individuals, but also in the population as a whole. Once a person exposed to a non-specific stress exceeds their resistance threshold, then their physiological balance can be disturbed, sometimes resulting in a complete cascade of changes. This turnover leads to the emergence of non-specific stress markers (Harris lines, dental enamel hypoplasia, cribra orbitalia, etc.), which can be subsequently observed on skeletal remains. The impact of stress on a whole population is reflected not only in the fitness and physical efficiency (reduced work effort) of the decreased, but also in a diminished reproductive capacity (increased abortion rate and reduced viability of newborns). All these factors are reflected in the disturbed socio-economic balance of the entire population (Goodman, Armelagos 1989; Larsen 1997). Dental enamel hypoplasia examined in individuals thus offers valuable information on the state of health and overall fitness of a population, and helps towards the retrospective reconstruction of a population’s behaviour and adaptation to the environment it occupies.