Investigation of the relationship of craniometrics and dental anomalies

Master's Thesis from the year 2012 in the subject Archaeology, grade: Merit, University of Bradford (Life Sciences), course: Human Osteology and Paleopathology, language: English, abstract: Dental anomalies of number, shape, and position are frequently analysed in the orthodontic and clinical literature but are rarely discussed in an anthropological or archaeological context. While some of these anomalies are believed to follow Mendelian inheritance patterns and the importance of heredity is stressed, other developmental dental disorders are often hypothesised to be the result of a modern, urbanised lifestyle as a response to reduced masticatory stress and subsequent crowding of the dentition.
This study of 131 skulls and dentitions from 6 archaeological collections from England and Macedonia examines the relationship between craniometric variables and the expression of dental anomalies. A number of standard craniometric measurements were taken to estimate relative sizes of cranial functional complexes and determine whether or not, and to what extent, changes in the shape or size of these variables were associated with the expression of dental anomalies.
Statistical analyses determined that the null hypothesis, that there is no relationship between craniometrics and dental anomalies, can be rejected. A number of dental anomalies were found to have a relationship with reduced sizes in cranial and masticatory elements, although dental crowding was not as significant a factor in masticatory complex reduction. A cause and effect relationship cannot be determined but the data presented here suggests that both heredity and environmental causes may be influential in the expression of dental anomalies.

Keywords: anthropology, palaeopathology, palaeoepidemiology, craniometrics, epidemiology, orthodontics, dental, skull, dentition, crania, teeth, anomalies, Macedonia, England.