The provided information doesn't directly address why children didn't brush their teeth. Instead, it focuses on the oral health of ancient people and their diet. Therefore, to answer effectively, we need to reframe the question to something addressable by the provided context. Let's assume the question is implicitly asking: "Why might ancient children not have needed to brush their teeth as frequently as modern children?"
Oral Health in Ancient Times and Potential Reasons
The text suggests that ancient people, including children, may have had relatively good oral health despite a lack of modern oral hygiene practices, because:
- Fibrous Diet: A significant portion of the ancient diet consisted of fibrous foods.
- Natural Cleaning Action: These foods naturally helped clean teeth by removing food debris. This reduced the need for additional cleaning methods like brushing. As the provided reference indicates, "Fibrous foods are great for digestion, but also help to keep our teeth healthy and clean. They do this by aiding in flushing away food debris from the surface of the teeth."
This suggests that if ancient children had a diet rich in fibrous foods, their teeth might have been relatively clean, reducing the perceived need for daily brushing, in comparison to children today with access to processed and sugary diets.
