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Rare diseases are a challenge in paleopathological research, mainly due to the ambiguity of skeletal signs, bad preservation state of the material, and lack of the reference material. The aim of our article is to present the skull characterized by the decreased values of the metrical traits and numerous pathological features of the cranial morphology and make an attempt to determine the possible cause of the observed anomalies.

Mandibular prognathism is a gnathic defect that causes severe dysfunction of the stomatognathic system. The aim of the study was to describe the compensatory mechanisms in the anatomical structure of the historical skull of a woman with severe mandibular prognathism, from the 'Kuronia' collection from the former 19th-century cemeteries of the Evangelical-Reformed Parish and the Evangelical-Augsburg Parish of St. Mary Magdalene in Wrocław. The compensatory changes in the anatomical structure of the skull, mainly affecting the alveolar part of the mandible and the maxillary alveolar processes, were probably aimed at achieving functionally efficient interdental contacts in the upper and lower arches. Due to edentulism, it was not possible to describe the exact position of the teeth. However, from the preserved alveolar bone structures it was possible to approximate the axes of their inclination. The analysis of the defects of the stomatognathic system in historical populations can enrich the study of their biological condition, constituting a rich source of information on their lifestyle and nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dynamic advances in dentistry, especially in implantology has inspired researchers to carry out many studies investigating the topography of the mandibular canal and its ethnic differences. The aim of the study was a comparative analysis of variations in the position and topography of the mandibular canal based on radiographic images of human mandibles originating from modern and medieval skulls. Materials and methods: Morphometric examination of 126 radiographs of skulls (92 modern and 34 medieval skulls) was included. The age and sex of individuals were determined based on the morphology of the skull, the obliteration of cranial sutures, and the degree of tooth wear. To define the topography of the mandibular canal on X-ray images, we took 8 anthropometric measurements. Results: We observed significant differences in several parameters. The distance between the base of the mandible and the bottom of the mandibular canal, the distance between the top of the mandibular canal and the crest of the alveolar arch, and the height of the mandibular body. Significant asymmetry was found for two parameters of mandibles from modern skulls: the distance between the top of the mandibular canal and the crest of the alveolar arch at the level of the second molar (p < 0.05), and the distance between the mandibular foramen and the margin of the anterior mandibular ramus (p < 0.007). There were no significant differences between measurements taken on the right and left sides of the medieval skulls. Conclusions: Our study revealed differences in the position of the mandibular canal between modern and medieval skulls, confirming the presence of geographical and chronological differences between populations. Knowledge of variability in the position of the mandibular canal between different local populations is fundamental for the correct interpretation of findings from diagnostic radiological studies used in dental practice and in forensic odontology or analysis of archaeological bone materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Although some hypotheses that attempt to explain the variation in supraorbital region morphology in modern humans have been proposed, this issue is still not well understood. In this study, the craniofacial size and spatial models were tested using a sample of modern human crania from geographically diverse populations, and the co-occurrence of the degrees of glabella (GL) and superciliary arch (ST) expression were analyzed. The two supraorbital structures were examined by visual assessment, and eight quantitative variables were included in the three-way ANOVA, canonical variates analysis and partial rank correlation. The influences of sex and the region of origin of the cranial samples on the relationships between the examined variables and the degrees of supraorbital structures expression were also considered. The results only partially supported the craniofacial size and spatial models and suggested that GL and ST experienced separate influences during development. In the sample of all crania, the neurocranial size more strongly influenced the morphological variation of the ST than of the GL, and sex influenced both of these structures the most. The results suggest that sex may be the main factor (having an influence independent of the other traits) on the morphological variation of the GL and ST. Am J Phys Anthropol 156:110-124, 2015 © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to investigate whether the variation in breadth of the cranial base among modern human populations that inhabit different regions of the world is linked with climatic adaptation. This work provides an examination of two hypotheses. The first hypothesis is that the correlation between basicranial breadth and ambient temperature is stronger than the correlation between temperature and other neurocranial variables, such as maximum cranial breadth, maximum neurocranial length, and the endocranial volume. The second hypothesis is that the correlation between the breadth of the cranial base and the ambient temperature is significant even when other neurocranial features used in this study (including the size of the neurocranium) are constant. For the sake of this research, the necessary neurocranial variables for fourteen human populations living in diverse environments were obtained from Howells' data (except for endocranial volume which was obtained by means of estimation). The ambient temperature (more precisely, the mean yearly temperature) of the environments inhabited by these populations was used as a major climatic factor. Data were analysed using Pearson correlation coefficients, linear regression and partial correlation analyses. The results supported the two hypotheses, thus suggesting that ambient temperature may contribute to the observed differences in the breadth of the cranial base in the studied modern humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The autapomorphic status of the Neanderthal suprainiac fossa was recently confirmed. This was a result of a detailed analysis of the internal bone composition in the area of the suprainiac depression on Neanderthal and Homo sapiens specimens. However, while anatomical differences between Neanderthal suprainiac fossa and the depression in the inion region of the occipital bone of fossil and recent Homo sapiens have been discussed in detail, the etiology of these structures has not been resolved. In this article, the hypothesis that the Homo sapiens non-supranuchal fossa and the Neanderthal suprainiac fossa both formed to maintain the optimal shape of the occipital plane (to minimize strain on the posterior cranial vault) is tested. First, the variation in the expression of the fossa above inion in the crania of recent Homo sapiens from European, African, and Australian samples was examined, and the degree of structural similarity between these depressions and the Neanderthal suprainiac fossa was assessed. Next, the relationship between the shape of the occipital squama in the midsagittal plane and two particular features (the degree of the occipital torus development and the occurrence of a depression in the inion region that is not the supranuchal fossa) were analyzed. Based on the results, it is suggested that the Homo sapiens non-supranuchal fossa and Neanderthal suprainiac fossa are convergent traits. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2011. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although the macroscopic assessment of dental caries and the assessment of bone elemental composition are quite different, efforts can be made to identify commonalities in the assessment of health and nutritional quality. Both indicators are correlated with dietary habits and are dependent on taphonomic processes occurring in the postmortem substrate. However, teeth exhibit structural resilience of their hard tissues to adverse environmental factors., Objectives: The aim of the study was to establish a correlation between the elemental composition of bones and the presence of carious lesions., Material and Methods: The study material consisted of the following skeletal parts: 161 permanent teeth from 36 individuals and bridge fragments of 36 ribs. The presence of caries was assessed visually using a modified International Caries Detection & Assessment System (ICDAS II) scale. The rib samples were subjected to elemental analysis (zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba)) using spectroscopic methods., Results: The odontological and chemical analyses did not reveal any statistically significant relationships between the Ca/P diagenesis index and dental features. Postmortem tooth loss showed a weak correlation with the diagenesis index., Conclusions: Discoloration, cracks and flaking of the dental crown surfaces may be associated with the intensity of Ca/P diagenesis. However, no significant correlation was found between these phenomena. Among other elements, only Zn levels exhibited a correlation with the caries index.