Dental Anthropology-A Revolutionary Tool in Forensic Science

Dental anthropology is a field of physical anthropology that studies the origin, development, and evolution of anthropoid dentitions, as well as their relationship to social, physical, and cultural factors. Teeth have their own distinct morphology and physiology, which is in stark contrast to the body's genetic structure. Teeth are also unique among the resistant elements of archaeological and fossil remains in that they have been exposed on the body's surface throughout their lives. As a result, dental anthropology may be assessed in the mouth cavity of living humans using similar methods to those used for prehistoric relics. As a result, it's no surprise that practising dental surgeons have historically ranked well among dental anthropologists. This review’s initial purpose is to provide an overview of the morphological and non-morphological properties of animate dentitions that aid in the indirect identification of prehistoric remains and the understanding of their cultural, social, and physical relationships, as well as to assist forensic odontologists with craniofacial identification and skull bone reconstruction.

ANALYTICAL METHODS OF DENTAL ANTHROPOLOGY & FORENSIC ODONTOLOGY –AN OVERVIEW

Dental Anthropology is a scientic discipline, which deals with studies of sexual dimorphism, paleodemography, oral evolutionary trends, paleodiet, biodistance and paleopathology through the analysis & comparison of the dentition of extinct and modern human populations by the study of Non-metric morphological variations (dental morphological features) and metric morphological trends of the dentition of human populations over time (prehistoric and modern) and space impact (ie.ethnic inuences) on them along-with their relation to the processes of adaptation and diet changes that contributed to the evolution of the current dental system and thereby the human race.(1,3,5) Teeth exhibit a wide array of variables, ranging from those largely controlled by genes to those largely dictated by environment. Anthropological questions focusing on teeth therefore, include issues of population origins and population relationships using information on (tooth morphology, size, number), diet and behavior (attrition, crown chipping, tooth-tool use), health (caries, abscesses, periodontal disease, calculus), and developmental stress (hypoplasia, asymmetry).Traits showing a wider distribution and higher frequency suggest a more ancient origin. (7) Apart from classical methods in this eld, many innovative techniques such as extraction of ancient DNA (aDNA), trace element and stable isotope analyses methods are used . Also, the analysis of development of microwear and confocal analyses of occlusal surfaces of teeth is done for documenting tooth use and masticatory function. Dental anthropologists and forensic odontologists can thus, together decipher problems associated with craniofacial identication & can also collaborate in museum model reconstructions out of skull bones for Forensic Facial Approximation.

Permanent molar trait expression in the Late Neolithic cave burials of the Meuse Basin, Belgium

At least 250 cave burials along the Meuse river basin of Belgium yield prehistoric remains, and most date from the Late Neolithic period. Several have been radiocarbon dated, including the early/late Neolithic deposits of Hastière Caverne M and Hastière Trou Garçon C and the final/late Neolithic caves of Sclaigneaux and Bois Madame. An additional collective burial, Maurenne Caverne de la Cave is radiocarbon dated to the Middle Neolithic and final/late Neolithic periods, circa 4,635 to 3,830 BP, encompassing the range of dates for the other collective burials. Most individuals are represented by fragmentary gnathic remains with in situ dental elements. Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System (ASUDAS) scores of permanent molars are employed to examine whether differences within and between the caves exist, and whether chronology and ecogeography can account for the variation in traits. The final/late Neolithic cave of Sclaigneaux, the most geographically distinct cave burial, and Hastière Caverne M, possibly the earliest site, emerge as the most distinctive. The final/late Neolithic sites of Sclaigneaux and Bois Madame exhibit the greatest variability of trait expression. These results bear on the mobility and continuity of human groups in Belgium during the terminus of the Neolithic prior to the Bronze Age.

Modos de herencia de la morfología dental en familias Misak del municipio de Silvia (Cauca, Colombia)

Este es un estudio descriptivo transversal cuantitativo que identificó el modo de herencia de 14 Rasgos Morfológicos Dentales (RMDC) a partir de la frecuencia, la variablidad, el dimorfismo sexual, la asimetría bilateral y la correspondencia entre rasgos, en modelos de yeso obtenidos de un grupo de diez familias —madre, padre e hijo(a)— que forman parte de la comunidad misak del municipio de Silvia (Cauca, Colombia). Se emplearon los sistemas de registro para dentición decidua Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System (ASUDAS, 1991) para crowding, winging y cúspide 6, Grine (1986) para cúspide de Carabelli, Sciuli (1998) para protostílido, pliegue acodado, patrón cuspídeo y número de cúspides, y Hanihara (1966) para cúspide 7; y para dentición permanente ASUDAS para los 14 RMDC. Se observaron altas frecuencias de punto P del protostílido, pliegue acodado, patrón cuspídeo, número de cúspides y cúspide 6 en los dientes deciduos; y de crowding, winging, forma de pala, reducción de hipocono, punto P del protostílido, patrón cuspídeo y cúspide 6 en los dientes permanentes.No hubo dimorfismo sexual y se observó simetría bilateral. Hubo correspondencia entre la dentición decidua y permanente para la expresión de la cúspide de Carabelli, el número de cúspides y la cúspide 6. Se observó una tendencia de herencia de la expresión dicotómica presencia/ausencia de los RMDC desde las madres hacia los hijos. El grupo de indígenas Misak corresponde a una población con alta influencia del complejo dental mongoloide y baja influencia de los complejos dentales caucasoide y negroide de acuerdo con la expresión y variabilidad de los RMDC. La ausencia de dimorfismo sexual, la presencia de simetría bilateral y la correspondencia de algunos rasgos, evidencia un fuerte control genético en el modo de herencia (con tendencia desde las madres hacia los hijos) y una baja influencia del medio ambiente.

Origins of the Northern Selkups Based on Anthropological Data

The authors examine the origins of the Upper Taz Selkups based on craniology and dental anthropology. They are one of the least studied groups of the indigenous population of Western Siberia. Judging by historical and ethnolinguistic data, the Northern Selkups moved to the Upper Taz region in the 17th – 18th century. Anthropological materials of the Northern Selkups were first obtained only in 2013 and 2016 during the excavations of Kikki-Akki burial ground. Recorded according to archaeological data, the burial rite has direct analogies in Southern Selkups burial grounds of the 17th – 18th centuries, with the exception of the selected individual features of the Eastern Khanty traditions. The craniological sample from Kikki-Akki burial includes 21 skulls – 13 males and 8 females. The dental sample includes the teeth of 22 individuals – 10 male, 6 female and 6 children. During the study the authors examined the anthropological materials based on the method of description of dental and cranial morphology, performed statistical integration. Characteristics of the series were compared with the obtained data of West Siberian near-recent samples. The analysis of the data shows that the Vakh Khanty represent the closest analogy to the series from Kikki-Akki, but the female part of the craniological sampling has a strong resemblance to the groups of the Southern Selkups. The results confirm the available historical and ethnolinguistic data on their formation due to the resettlement of a part of the Southern Selkup group from the Ob River Basin to the north, i.e. to the upper reaches of the Taz River. Moreover, the results demonstrate that the Selkup appearance changed quite a lot in a short period of time (200–300 years) that passed since their migration. The Northern Selkups acquired a significant resemblance to the Vakh Khanty – the only population with which the Selkups could maintain marital relations during their resettlement from the Middle Ob River to the Taz River.

A Systematic Literature Review and Case Report of Bilateral Two-Rooted Mandibular Deciduous Canines and Their Usefulness in Forensic Identification

A systematic review of the literature in PubMed was made by combining the terms “cuspid” and “tooth root” as MeSH health descriptors, combined with the Boolean operators “+” and “&” to obtain describing publications about two roots canines in order to sustain, on scientific evidence, the application of dental anthropology (dental morphological variations) in forensic science (forensic processes of dental identification). This literature review identified reports that describe the presence of two-rooted canines and the number and distribution of root canals for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes; and one report in which description was performed for forensic identification purposes. The descriptions corresponded to different cases of permanent maxillary canines with left unilateral expression, permanent mandibular canines with right unilateral expression, left unilateral expression with bilateral expression. There were no reports of deciduous dentition. Likewise, a case report in which skeletonized human remains were identified by the presence of bilateral two-root mandibular deciduous canines is described.