Traces of blackened teeth can be seen on bones buried in Japan during the Kofun period (250 to 538 A.D.), between the 3rd and 6th centuries. Throughout history, this practice called ohaguro, in Japan, had a number of different meanings depending on the time and place that it was used. For example, in some cases, it was meant to show that a woman had come of age, in some others, to indicate that she was married or to symbolize fidelity. It was also believed to be a way of preventing tooth decay. While a few historians claim that the painting was a way to make married ladies look unattractive, there are many scholars that disagree with this theory.
