Is it true that people didn't commonly get cavities before...?

before processed, refined sugar was around (and also before toothbrushes were around)? I read that somewhere and i thought it did kind of make sense. I guess what i'm mainly wondering is, if hypothetically, you never ate anything with any kind of sugar other than all natural sugars (fructose, lactose, maltose) but never brushed your teeth, is there a good chance that you will develop cavities, or any other kind of mouth problems such as gum diseases?

Is it true that people didn't commonly get cavities before...?
Yes it is true, but they still have cavities due to the poor understanding and poor hygiene practices with regard to oral care
Reply:Sort of. cavities became a lot *more* common after sugar was brought to Europe. Before that, tooth problems still occurred, but not of the same kind - mostly wearing down to the pulp or cracking.