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Introduction and aim: Human dentition is an object of interest of both dentistry and dental anthropology, and a source of diverse information about human evolution, variability of populations, individual development or pathological cases. Both subjects often study the clinically visible result of phylogeny and ontogeny: a tooth crown. Tooth crown especially of the posterior dentition, i.e., premolars and molars, is characterized by complex morphology which is formed by iterative processes of genetic, epigenetic, and environmental character. After its completion, a tooth crown can be altered only by destruction of hard tissues, e.g., dental caries, trauma or tooth wear. Size and shape of tooth crown is traditionally studied by linear dimensions or by observation and scoring of the discrete morphological traits. With the expansion of modern imaging technologies, new methodological approaches are used increasingly. These approaches are more suitable for describing the variation of dentition and their results are potentially more informative about the biological basis of dental variability. The aim of this study is to describe and summarize the current trends of tooth morphology quantification in dental anthropology. Methods: Study was based on the survey of research papers and books focused on tooth morphology and approaches of dental anthropology to its study. Mostly the Web of Science and PubMed databases were used for the survey. Conclusion: The review is focused on the methods of quantification of human dental morphology and their use with respect to the development of tooth morphology.

Dental treatment essential to justice Action, review of evidence, appropriate evaluation and presentation of dental examination results. Most involve the use of teeth and oral samples for identification in a legal context. Dental anthropology, on the other hand, provides information such as characteristics of teeth, tooth morphology, size and shape changes, restoration, disease, tooth loss, wear pattern, dentistry, color and teeth. Dental records are also useful for comparing teeth; this can help determine a person's age, gender, race or ethnicity, personality and occupation, all of which can take on meaning on their own. The dental profession plays an important role as well as the responsibility to maintain accurate dental records to provide the necessary information to assist in the identification of victims. This article provides an overview of how forensic odontology and dental anthropology play an important role in identifying individuals and finding ways to resolve legal issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dental science is directly correlated to anthropology, which is attributed to teeth's significant advantages and properties. Meanwhile, justice is better and easier served due to the contribution of forensic odontology. The aim of the present literature review is to present the decisive contribution of dental science to the investigation of human species' evolution, as well as to the demystification of criminal cases. A thorough research has been conducted in scientific databases and scientific textbooks related to our review. It is obvious that the assessment of gradual modifications in human dentition as time passes by is indicative of human species' evolution. Nowadays, it is feasible to determine an excavated skeleton's identity and, as far as the ancient civilizations are concerned, to investigate their intercultural relationships, their dietary customs and their oral health's status. With regard to forensics, the structure of cranial bones is of great assistance in demystificating legal cases. Forensic odontology provides forensic medical examiners with the opportunity to faster identify deceased people and more effectively examine abused victims. Certainly, radiographic techniques, such as periapical radiographs as well as modern radiographic methodologies (CT, CBCT, MRI), offer additional diagnostic information in forensics. So, methodologies introduced by dental science have become a remarkable assist in anthropological researches, as well as in forensics. Nevertheless, there can be noticed a limited application of forensic odontology's principles in Greece. This fact may be attributed to the technological capabilities of our country's forensic laboratories rather than the Greek experts' level of expertise.

The article describes results of using a medical intraoral scanner Medit i500 to obtain odontological information in a course of the survey of the modern population in the western regions of the Republic of Tuva within the framework of the complex ethnographic and anthropological expedition of TuvSU-CPI under the leadership of E.V. Aiyzhi. The experience of using this scanner occurred to be very successful. From a technical point of view, the scanner demonstrated high efficiency and productivity due to the high scanning speed. The use of an intraoral scanner opens up wide methodological possibilities in conducting dental anthropology studies: first, the use of digital images for further analysis instead of wax prints, makes it possible to expand the research program by including a number of features of both the lingual and vestibular surfaces of the crowns, and the occlusive one. Secondly, the researcher has the opportunity to accurately fix the sequence and degree of teething of the permanent change, which is very important for determining the correspondence of the "dental" and passport age in children, which ultimately makes it possible to assess the processes of growth and development in the population. Thirdly, it allows us to study in more detail the morphology of the teeth, more accurately assess the severity score of the dental anthropology feature. In addition, thanks to the use of the scanner, we were able to carry out an important methodological study on the analysis of interobserver agreement in the assessment of some dental traits.

According to the multifactorial pathological model, dental morphology has been associated as one of the etiological factors of caries by favoring the accumulation of food remains and biofilm retention. One of the most frequent of non-metric dental traits of the Colombian population is the P point of the protostylid, which is constituted in a fossa that is expressed in the bucomesial development groove of the lower molars, a region that follows the occlusal surface as one of sites where carious lesions develop more frequently. However, the lack of knowledge of this morphological feature by most dentists makes the morphological system of the protostylid misdiagnosed, which in many cases leads to the overtreatment of this pit with invasive therapies, which could be avoided with a knowledge adequate dental morphology and with a preventive management or non-invasive techniques. Therefore, the aim of this review of the subject is to reconcile the expression of the P point of the protostylid and to make an approximation to the clinical implications of the same and the conservative diagnostic and therapeutic possibilities offered by dentistry to control the accumulation of food rests and retention of dental biofilm.

A review of the subject in Ecuador and a new case is reported for this country. A comparison is made of the cases found in Ecuador with others of the E4 and E5 types in Mesoamerica in times close to Classic Period. The origin of this cultural practice in the region is discussed and it is concluded as a result of contacts with groups from the near Atlantic and Pacific coasts in earlier times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dental anthropology is a subdiscipline of biological anthropology that is concerned with the nonclinical study of teeth. As such, the discipline is distinct from that of forensic odontology, yet still of relevance within forensic anthropology and a medicolegal context. This review of dental anthropology differentiates it as a distinct field of study and highlights its role within medicolegal death investigations, particularly the role of the dentition in estimating parameters of the biological profile. The development and history of dental anthropology in relation to forensic anthropology are outlined. The differentiation of the roles of the dental/forensic anthropologist and the forensic odontologist is discussed. The potential role of the dentition in estimating parameters of the biological profile is discussed, as are the relevant biological processes. Finally, the need for advanced training in dental anthropology is emphasized, as is the potential for future research within this emerging field of study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes results of using a medical intraoral scanner Medit i500 to obtain odontological information in a course of the survey of the modern population in the western regions of the Republic of Tuva within the framework of the complex ethnographic and anthropological expedition of TuvSU-CPI under the leadership of E.V. Aiyzhi. The experience of using this scanner occurred to be very successful. From a technical point of view, the scanner demonstrated high efficiency and productivity due to the high scanning speed. The use of an intraoral scanner opens up wide methodological possibilities in conducting dental anthropology studies: first, the use of digital images for further analysis instead of wax prints, makes it possible to expand the research program by including a number of features of both the lingual and vestibular surfaces of the crowns, and the occlusive one. Secondly, the researcher has the opportunity to accurately fix the sequence and degree of teething of the permanent change, which is very important for determining the correspondence of the "dental" and passport age in children, which ultimately makes it possible to assess the processes of growth and development in the population. Thirdly, it allows us to study in more detail the morphology of the teeth, more accurately assess the severity score of the dental anthropology feature. In addition, thanks to the use of the scanner, we were able to carry out an important methodological study on the analysis of interobserver agreement in the assessment of some dental traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and aim: Human dentition is an object of interest of both dentistry and dental anthropology, and a source of diverse information about human evolution, variability of populations, individual development or pathological cases. Both subjects often study the clinically visible result of phylogeny and ontogeny: a tooth crown. Tooth crown especially of the posterior dentition, i.e., premolars and molars, is characterized by complex morphology which is formed by iterative processes of genetic, epigenetic, and environmental character. After its completion, a tooth crown can be altered only by destruction of hard tissues, e.g., dental caries, trauma or tooth wear. Size and shape of tooth crown is traditionally studied by linear dimensions or by observation and scoring of the discrete morphological traits. With the expansion of modern imaging technologies, new methodological approaches are used increasingly. These approaches are more suitable for describing the variation of dentition and their results are potentially more informative about the biological basis of dental variability. The aim of this study is to describe and summarize the current trends of tooth morphology quantification in dental anthropology. Methods: Study was based on the survey of research papers and books focused on tooth morphology and approaches of dental anthropology to its study. Mostly the Web of Science and PubMed databases were used for the survey. Conclusion: The review is focused on the methods of quantification of human dental morphology and their use with respect to the development of tooth morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objectives: Rapid prototyping (RP) technology is becoming more affordable, faster, and is now capable of building models with a high resolution and accuracy. Due to technological limitations, 3D printing in biological anthropology has been mostly limited to museum displays and forensic reconstructions. In this study, we compared the accuracy of different 3D printers to establish whether RP can be used effectively to reproduce anthropological dental collections, potentially replacing access to oftentimes fragile and irreplaceable original material. Methods: We digitized specimens from the Yuendumu collection of Australian Aboriginal dental casts using a high‐resolution white‐light scanning system and reproduced them using four different 3D printing technologies: stereolithography (SLA); fused deposition modeling (FDM); binder‐jetting; and material‐jetting. We compared the deviations between the original 3D surface models with 3D print scans using color maps generated from a 3D metric deviation analysis. Results: The 3D printed models reproduced both the detail and discrete morphology of the scanned dental casts. The results of the metric deviation analysis demonstrate that all 3D print models were accurate, with only a few small areas of high deviations. The material‐jetting and SLA printers were found to perform better than the other two printing machines. Conclusions: The quality of current commercial 3D printers has reached a good level of accuracy and detail reproduction. However, the costs and printing times limit its application to produce large sample numbers for use in most anthropological studies. Nonetheless, RP offers a viable option to preserve numerically constraint fragile skeletal and dental material in paleoanthropological collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human feeding patterns have been reconstructed in Archaeology by analysing either oral pathology or stable isotope ratios in human skeletal remains. However, no clear agreement has been developed between these two methodologies. The main objective of this study is to determine if we can establish a link between them when analysing a population with a hyper-specialized diet, in this case marine resources (and millet/maize). To reach this goal we developed a conjoined multi-isotope analysis using collagen and bioapatite (δ13Ccol, δ15Ncol and δ13Ccar) and a detailed study of oral health (caries, antemortem loss, periapical lesions, periodontal disease, calculus, and wear). All available skeletons with at least one preserved tooth from two cemeteries of the medieval town of Pontevedra (n = 34) were studied. The buried individuals belonged to the guild of fishers and artisans, professions which were dominant among the families of medieval Pontevedra. A detailed FTIR-ATR study of extracted bone bioapatite showed a high correlation between bioapatite carbonate content, carbonate typical vibrations, and FTIR-ATR indices related to bone diagenesis, which is in line with previous research. No significant correlations were found with bioapatite yield and isotopic composition (δ13Ccar and Δ13C), ruling out possible diagenetic effects. The diet was based on marine fish protein with contributions of millets (e.g., δ13Ccar -11.9 ± 1.8‰) that seems to be slightly higher in individuals linked to artisanal guilds. The oral pathology study shows severe dental wear from an early age (Grade 2–4 in permanent dentition for 20% of infants and 60% of juveniles in M1), as well as moderate-high presence of caries in permanent dentition (64%, 22/34) and dental calculus (72%, 24/33). Both the oral pathology and the isotopic signal differ from that observed in other areas of the Iberian Peninsula. This study points to the existence of connections between findings of the two methodologies, and specifically an association between intense dental wear and high consumption of marine resources and millet. At the same time, this analysis implies the necessity of caution in estimation of age by dental wear in populations linked to the sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A review of the subject in Colombia and two new cases are reported for this country. A comparison is made of the cases found in Colombia with others of the E1 type in Mesoamerica in times close to the year 1000 BP. Another possible case B3-B6 is mentioned. The origin of this cultural practice in the region is discussed and it is concluded as a result of contacts with groups from the near Atlantic and Pacific coasts in earlier times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de la Facultad de Odontología. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo is the property of Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Facultad de Odontologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Facultad de Odontología Universidad de Antioquia is the property of Universidad de Antioquia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Morphological variation in modern human dentition is still an open field of study. The understanding of dental shape and metrics is relevant for the advancement of human biology and evolution and is thus of interest in the fields of dental anthropology, as well as human anatomy and medicine. Of concern is also the variation of the inner aspects of the crown which can be investigated using the tools and methods of virtual anthropology. In this study, we explored inter- and intra-population morphometric variation of modern humans' upper third and fourth premolars (P3s and P4s, respectively) considering both the inner and outer aspects of the crown, and discrete traits. We worked by means of geometric morphometrics on 3D image data from a geographically balanced sample of human populations from five continents, to analyse the shape of the dentinal crown, and the crown outline in 78 P3s and 76 P4s from 85 individuals. For the study of dental traits, we referred to the Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System integrated with more recent classification systems. The 3D shape variation of upper premolar crowns varied between short and mesio-distally broad, and tall and mesio-distally narrow. The observed shape variation was independent from the geographical origin of the populations, and resulted in extensive overlap. We noted a high pairwise correlation (r1 = 0.83) between upper P3s and P4s. We did not find any significant geographic differences in the analysed non-metric traits. Our outcomes thus suggest that geographical provenance does not play a determinant role in the shaping of the dental crown, whose genesis is under strict genetic control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]