Odontometrics

Around A.D. 1050 Late Woodland peoples living near the Mississippi River and its tributaries experienced vast changes in material culture, site organization, and ideology. These changes are often attributed to trade, religion, or migration from the center of Mississippian cultural expansion, the Cahokia site, near St. Louis, Missouri. Previous biological distance analyses examining skeletal assemblages in and around the Cahokia site area have found biological continuity between Late Woodland and Mississippian individuals. Minimal biological distance research has been done investigating biological relationships between groups at the northern periphery of the Mississippian cultural landscape; therefore, this project looked at the movement of people in the central Illinois River valley, southeast Wisconsin, and south central Indiana. The Archaic Indian Knoll group was examined as a comparative control group. The wide scope of this dissertation presents a unique examination of Late Woodland and Mississippian interaction in the Midwest.

Biological distances were investigated through examination of human permanent dentition using odontometric and non-metric trait analyses. Results show that there is no evidence for a group of biologically different Mississippian people moving into the areas examined. Results also indicated a general reduction of within-site biological variation occurring during the Mississippian period. This is consistent with previous biological distance research in the Midwest. Small differences present between dental size and dental shape data results may indicate increased biological homogenization of groups as a result of Mississippianization of the area. Furthermore, large biological distances between groups in Wisconsin as well as the larger region suggest that Wisconsin groups were participating in different social and biological networks than those analyzed in this project.

Finally, the Archaic Indian Knoll skeletal assemblage was examined as a comparative control group based on the hypothesis that their geographic and temporal distance would also result in biological distance, primarily as a result of dental reduction through time. Results show that the Indian Knoll group had small biological distances to all other groups in the project with no evidence of dental reduction and therefore could not be used as a comparative control.

RESUMEN Los modelos bioantropológicos y arqueológicos proponen cambios en la demografía, en la organización social, en las dinámicas poblacionales y en las redes de interacción social entre los grupos cazadores-recolectores del norte de la Patagonia y del sur pampeano durante los últimos 1000 años. El objetivo de este trabajo es explorar, desde la
perspectiva de la antropología dental, si los individuos recuperados en el curso inferior del río Colorado (transición pampeano-patagónica oriental, provincia de Buenos Aires), inhumados durante el Holoceno tardío (ca. 3000-250 años AP), pertenecieron a diferentes poblaciones biológicas o si, por el contrario, compartieron un pool génico común a lo largo
de ese período. Para alcanzar este objetivo se realizaron
análisis métricos de la dentición permanente de 21 individuos adultos de ambos sexos, procedentes de tres sitios arqueológicos.
Los resultados indican una similitud en la dispersión de
los valores obtenidos, lo que permitiría inferir cierta continuidad fenotípica. En este sentido, no se observan segregaciones claras entre grupos de individuos, de manera que es posible plantear que no habrían existido divergencias biológicas entre los grupos humanos que inhumaban a sus ancestros en el área durante todo el lapso considerado. Estos datos contrastan con la información generada en áreas vecinas (p. ej., Pampa
occidental), lo que indicaría que durante el Holoceno tardío final (ca. 1000-250 años AP) se habrían desarrollado diferentes procesos y dinámicas poblacionales (p.ej., regionalización) a nivel macro-regional.

ABSTRACT Bioanthropological and archaeological models propose changes in demography, social organization, population dynamics, and social network interactions among hunter-gatherer groups of northern Patagonia and southern Pampas over the last 1000 years BP. Following this argument, the aim of this paper is to examine, from a dental anthropological perspective, whether the individuals recovered in the lower course of the Colorado river (Eastern Pampean-Patagonian transition, Buenos Aires province, Argentina), buried during the late Holocene (ca. 3000-250 years BP), belonged to different biological populations or, on the contrary, whether they shared a common gene pool
throughout this period. To achieve this goal, dental metrics were performed on adults from both sexes, recovered from three archaeological sites. The results indicate a similarity in the dispersion of the values obtained, which would allow the inference of certain phenotypic continuity. In this sense, no clear segregations among groups of individuals are
observed, so that it is possible to argue that biological differences would not have existed among the human groups that buried their ancestors in the lower course of the Colorado river during the period considered. These data contrast with the information generated in neighboring areas (e.g., western Pampas), indicating that during the final late Holocene (ca. 1000-250 years BP) different processes and population dynamics (e.g., regionalization) developed at a macro-regional level.

The degree of sexual dimorphism of permanent human canines in cervical buccolingual and mesiodistal diameters was investigated through discriminant analyses. Measurements were recorded in 254 canines from 85 individuals in four populations and sex was estimated with multifactorial morphological methods. Age was similar assessed in order to rule it out as a factor. Tooth and body size were controlled for in three of the populations (56 individuals) by the greatest buccolingual diameter of the right first molar of the corresponding jaw and the coronal diameter of the right femoral head, respectively. Age and tooth and body size were statistically insignificant factors (p > 0.05). Inter-observer error varied from 0.04 to 0.17 mm or 0.7-3.0% and was largely insignificant. Student’s t-tests found jaw was significant (p<0.05) but side was not (p>0.05) so measurements for both sides were averaged to increase the sample size. Sexual dimorphism was statistically insignificant for all four diameters individually or grouped with the exception of mandibular buccolingual width. Accuracy values ranged from 49-73% which, adjusted for a generous error margin from sexing techniques, became 39-58%. These results indicate that the landmarks, assemblages, or both do not exhibit significant sexual dimorphism. Future work should consider similar populations with different landmarks and/or the same landmarks on a different assemblage, preferably one of known sex.

Basque population history has been examined through classic genetic markers, mtDNA, Y chromosome haplogroups, craniometrics, and recently dental morphology. Dental morphological data show Basques have a classic European dental pattern but fall as an outlier among European populations. Expanding on that work, Basque tooth size was examined to further evaluate the affinities of the Basque population. Mesiodistal and buccolingual maximum crown measurements were taken from medieval and post medieval skeletons from the Catedral de Santa María in Vitoria, Spain, along with living samples of modern Basques, Spanish, and Spanish Basques from dental students at the Universidad del País Vasco. A dental metric examination affirms the outlier status of Basques, as they exhibit smaller crown areas than neighboring populations. In biodistance analyses Basque populations group with linguistically and geographically distant populations. Even with gene flow from Spain, France, and North Africa, Basq...

Advances in technologies such as computed tomography (CT) scanning have allowed for further examination of dental sexual dimorphism in modern and archaeological populations. The present study investigates a new technique for sex estimation using the volume of the tooth root. To achieve this goal, the degree of sexual dimorphism in the volume of the permanent tooth root was investigated using CT images of two Iranian archaeological populations, and the applicability of this measurement in sex estimation was evaluated by means of discriminant function analysis. This study was based on the skeletal remains of 52 individuals (32 males, 20 females) from two Iron Age populations in close temporal and geographic proximity in the Solduz Valley (north-western Iran). In total, 464 3D models of permanent maxillary and mandibular teeth were used for sex estimation. Statistical analysis of tooth root volume measurements revealed significant differences between males and females. Univariate discr...

DIANA MALARCHIK1, AMANDA WILLIAMS1, AND G. RICHARD SCOTT1,
1Department of Anthropology, University of Nevada Reno

The linguistic, cultural and biological uniqueness of Basques has long interested anthropologists. Although studied extensively for genetic markers, including mtDNA and Y chromosome haplogroups, little attention has focused on the Basque dentition. A recent study of dental morphology shows Basques have a classic European dental pattern but they are an outlier in the context of other European populations.  To follow up on the study of Basque crown and root morphology, mesiodistal (MD) and buccolingual (BL) crown diameters were obtained for living Basque, Spanish, and Spanish-Basque samples along with medieval and post-medieval samples from the Cathedral of Santa María in Vitoria, País Vasco, Spain.  Excluding third molars, total crown areas (MDxBL) for premolars and molars were plotted to assess temporal variation among living and historic Basque populations and also determine where Basques fall on a world wide scale against diverse samples. For genetic markers and dental morphology, Basques are outliers in the context of other Europeans.  The same is true for odontometrics as Basques have low total crown areas comparable to other small-toothed populations, including Lapps (Sami), Bushmen (San), and Ainu.  For comparisons among Basque samples, the modern population had the smallest teeth. While the European character of the Basque dentition is evident, their status as an outlier is indicated once again in tooth size.

Introduction: Forensic anthropologists are continually look ing into new methods to determine sex, age and ancestry from unknown skeletal remains, also attempting to improve existing methods. Teeth are very durable, and are therefore very valuable in forensic death investigations. Aim: The aim of this paper was to use measurements of the upper and lower canines as well as the inter-canine distances in order to determine population affinity from unknown remains. Materials and methods: Two hundred skeletons of South Africans were used, which included 50 individuals of each sex and population group (black and white males and females). Due to dental wear and some antemortem tooth loss a full set of measurements could not be obtained from particularly the white females. Discriminant function formulae were developed for dentition of the upper and lower jaws separately, using mesiodistal and buccolingual diameters of the canines, crown indices as well as intercanine distances. Results: Ave...

INTRODUCTION: Teeth are the most unique structure of human body and no two dentitions are alike. The tooth has its very own set of properties which helps it in bearing remarkable and potential stresses like thermal and mechanical assault. It also has the least turnover rate amongst all the natural structures of the body thereby acting as the most valuable tool in genetics, anthropology and forensic science.
AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the variations in mesiodistil and labiolingual dimensions of canines and to establish the dimorphism amongst males and females
METHOD: The dental cast of all the subjects fulfilling the study criteria where acquired after taking a dental impression by alginate and then pouring cast. The mesiodistil and labiolingual measurements were taken using Digital Vernier caliper with a resolution of 0.001mm.
STATISTICAL ANAYLSIS: LATER DATA WAS ACQUIRED AND WAS ANALYSED USING SPSS SOFTWARE (VERSION 14) 
RESULTS:  It was concluded that the Mesio-Distil width of males is greater than female and the Labio-
Lingual width of males was also greater than female.
CONCLUSION: Our study establishes a significant increase in the Labiolingual and mesiodistal width of Maxillary and Mandibular canines in South Indian population. Hence Odontometric analysis of maxillary canines has proven to exhibit sexual dimorphism which can be used as a forensic tool for the welfare of mankind.

Analysis of dental casts plays an important part in the clinical examination of a patient before any decision is taken regarding treatment. With the advent of new technologies and the introduction of digital data into the orthodontist&#x27;s office, digitalized casts now offer a new ...

Objetives: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the tooth size discrepancy (TSD) in a group of Libyan schoolchildren, and to compare TSD between sexes. Material and Methods: The sample comprised 333 Libyan schoolchildren (162 males with a mean (SD) age of 14.4 (1.1) years, and 171 females with a mean age of 14.1 (1.1) years). Anterior and overall TSD ratios were computed using descriptive statistics. Sex differences were statistically assessed using an independent t-test (P&lt;0.05). Results: Males showed significantly wider MD tooth width compared to females (P&lt;0.05), except for the maxillary first premolars and mandibular central incisors. There were significant differences (P&lt;0.05) between the paired (right and left sides) tooth measurements except for the maxillary and mandibular central and lateral incisors as well as mandibular canines. The mean (SD) for overall and anterior TSD ratios were 91.3% (2.1) and 78.2% (2.6), respectively, with no significan...