CURRENT THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES OF DENTAL ANTHROPOLOGY TO THE STUDY OF TOOTH MORPHOLOGY

Abstract

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.

Keywords

• human dentition
• tooth size and shape
• morphology
• morphometry
• odontogenesis
• dental anthropology