Cementum annulations, age estimation, and demographic dynamics in Mid-Holocene foragers of North India.

One of the principal problems facing palaeodemography is age estimation in adult skeletons and the centrist tendency that affects many age estimation methods by artificially increasing the proportion of individuals in the 30-45-year age category. Several recent publications have indicated that cementum annulations are significantly correlated with known age of extraction or death. This study addresses the question of how demographic dynamics are altered for an archaeological sample when cementum-based age estimates are used as opposed to those obtained via conventional macroscopic methods. Age pyramids were constructed and demographic profiles were compared for the early Holocene skeletal population from Damdama (India). The results demonstrate that the use of cementum annulations for age estimation in only a subset of the skeletal sample has a significant impact on the demographic profile with regard to specific parameters such as mean age at death and life expectancy at birth. This confirms the importance of using cementum annulations to refine age estimates in archaeological samples, which, when combined with a fertility-centred approach to demography, can provide new insights into population dynamics in the past.

Epidemiology of enamel hypoplasia in deciduous teeth: explaining variation in prevalence in western India.

This study is based on seven samples of school children (n = 516) from rural (five groups) and urban (two groups) settings in western Maharashtra, India. Height and weight were recorded for each subject. Intra-oral observation of the labial surface of maxillary and mandibular anterior teeth was conducted with a low power (3x) illuminated hand lens. Presence of enamel hypoplasia was recorded on a dental chart by drawing the size and location of the defect on the affected tooth. Data analysis was conducted in two stages: 1) Enamel hypoplasia (EH) prevalence was analyzed by percentage of teeth and by percentage of individuals affected for the composite sample and independently for each study group and 2) an assessment of the relationship between anthropometric variables (height and weight), socio-economic status (SES), and localized hypoplasia of primary canines (LHPC; Skinner, 1986) was evaluated using multiple linear regression analysis. EH was observed less often in deciduous incisors (0.2% in di(2) to 2.5% in di(2)) than in deciduous canines (dc). Mandibular dc were affected with the greatest frequency (23.1%, tooth count). The overall individual count prevalence of dc hypoplasia (LHPC) is 26.2% (134/511) for all village samples and sexes combined. Difference in LHPC frequency by sex is non-significant, with males (24.7%, 70/284) and females (28.2%, 64/227) exhibiting nearly equal values. Significant inter-group variation in LHPC prevalence was documented among the seven groups, and the range of LHPC prevalence the among living groups exceeds variability in LHPC among four prehistoric Chalcolithic skeletal series of the Deccan Plateau. Multiple regression analysis revealed no significant relationship between height-for-age or weight-for-age in four school samples (two urban/two rural), but a significant association between stature and LHPC was found for three rural endogamous groups. Children with LHPC were significantly shorter by 1.5 cm than children who lacked the defect after controlling for differences in age. While the association between low birth weight and EH is strong and well documented clinically, the association between childhood stature and LHPC is more variable across groups and may reflect inter-group variation in the duration and intensity of environmental stress.

The prevalence and expression of primary double teeth in western India.

Double primary teeth occur in a sample of children from western India at a prevalence rate of 1.5 percent with no sex predilection, typically occurring unilaterally, and without preference for involvement of the central incisor and lateral incisor or the lateral incisor and canine. A higher incidence of fusion over gemination was also found. An examination of the world-wide distribution of the trait suggests European and European-derived populations exhibit universally low incidences, while Asian and Asian-derived populations exhibit relatively higher frequencies. The intermediate incidence reported for western India is in agreement with previous findings with primary dental morphology, suggesting an intermediate genetic affiliation between Asian and European samples.

Enamel hypoplasia in the deciduous teeth of great apes: variation in prevalence and timing of defects.

The prevalence of enamel hypoplasia in the deciduous teeth of great apes has the potential to reveal episodes of physiological stress in early stages of ontogenetic development. However, little is known about enamel defects of deciduous teeth in great apes. Unresolved questions addressed in this study are: Do hypoplastic enamel defects occur with equal frequency in different groups of great apes? Are enamel hypoplasias more prevalent in the deciduous teeth of male or female apes? During what phase of dental development do enamel defects tend to form? And, what part of the dental crown is most commonly affected? To answer these questions, infant and juvenile skulls of two sympatric genera of great apes (Gorilla and Pan) were examined for dental enamel hypoplasias. Specimens from the Powell-Cotton Museum (Quex Park, UK; n = 107) are reported here, and compared with prior findings based on my examination of juvenile apes at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History (Hamman-Todd Collection; n = 100) and Smithsonian Institution (National Museum of Natural History; n = 36). All deciduous teeth were examined by the author with a x10 hand lens, in oblique incandescent light. Defects were classified using Fédération Dentaire International (FDI)/Defects of Dental Enamel (DDE) standards; defect size and location on the tooth crown were measured and marked on dental outline charts. Enamel defects of ape deciduous teeth are most common on the labial surface of canine teeth. While deciduous incisor and molar teeth consistently exhibit similar defects with prevalences of approximately 10%, canines average between 70-75%. Position of enamel defects on the canine crown was analyzed by dividing it into three zones (apical, middle, and cervical) and calculating defect prevalence by zone. Among gorillas, enamel hypoplasia prevalence increases progressively from the apical zone (low) to the middle zone to the cervical zone (highest), in both maxillary and mandibular canine teeth. Results from all three study collections reveal that among the great apes, gorillas (87-92%) and orangutans (91%) have a significantly higher prevalence of canine enamel defects than chimpanzees (22-48%). Sex differences in canine enamel hypoplasia are small and not statistically significant in any great ape. Factors influencing intergroup variation in prevalence of enamel defects and their distribution on the canine crown, including physiological stress and interspecific dento-gnathic morphological variation, are evaluated.

Enamel hypoplasia in the deciduous teeth of early Miocene catarrhines: evidence of perinatal physiological stress.

Enamel hypoplasia (EH) is a deficiency in enamel thickness due to physiological insults that compromise ameloblast function during the secretory phase of amelogenesis. The prevalence of EH in the deciduous teeth of nonhuman primates is largely unknown. One exception is the recent discovery of EH in the deciduous teeth of extant great apes which exhibit significant differences in prevalence between genera (Lukacs, 1999 a, 2000 a, Am. J. phys. Anthrop.110, 351-363). EH in deciduous teeth of other primates, living and fossil, remain undocumented. This communication describes a "plane form" type of EH known as localized hypoplasia of primary canines (LHPC) (Skinner, 1986 a, Am. J. phys. Anthrop.69, 59-69) in early Miocene catarrhines from Kenya. Specimens were examined macroscopically, with a 10x hand lens and with a variable power (10-30x) binocular microscope. Fédération Dentaire International (FDI)/Defects of Dental Enamel (DDE) standards were employed in recognition and recording of enamel defects (Fédération Dentaire International, 1982, Int. Dent. J.32, 159-167; Clarkson, 1989, Adv. Dental Res.3, 104-109). Size, shape and location of defects were measured and recorded on an outline drawing of the tooth crown. The Kenya National Museum study sample includes six genera of early Miocene catarrhines (n=66 specimens, with n=80 teeth). Seven deciduous teeth were afflicted with EH, yielding an overall prevalence of 8.75%. Two taxa, Kalepithecus (n=1 deciduous canine) and Proconsul (n=3 deciduous canines), were affected with LHPC. Expression of LHPC in fossil catarrhines is consistent with the expression of EH observed in skeletal samples of extant great apes. This report establishes an approximately 17-23 Ma antiquity for EH among early catarrhines and suggests that the neonatal stage of ontogenetic development was sufficiently stressful physiologically to produce disruption in amelogenesis. These physiological stresses impacted neonates of fossil taxa with a wide range of adult body sizes, from large-bodied Proconsul major ( approximately 75 kg) to one of the smaller-bodied catarrhines, Kalepithecus ( approximately 5 kg).

Canary islands-north African population affinities: measures of divergence based on dental morphology.

This investigation addresses two related questions about the origins and biological affinities of the Canary Islands' aboriginal inhabitants. First: With which North African populations do the pre-conquest inhabitants of the Canary Islands have their greatest affinities? Second: Does inter-island biological variability among the Canary Islanders, as has been suggested by other researchers (Hooton 1925, Schwidetzky 1963), imply that potentially different founding populations remained distinct during the pre-conquest period? This study employs dental morphology data derived from pre-conquest skeletons to answer these questions. Non-metric dental traits appear to be controlled by polygenic systems with a low to moderate environmental contribution to the resulting phenotype (Berry 1978, Harris & Bailit 1980, Nichol 1990) and can thus be assumed to reflect genetic relationships. The dental morphology of a sample of Canary Islanders (n = 397) is compared to that of Northwest African samples of Algerian Shawia Berbers (n = 26), Kabyle Berbers (n = 32), Bedouin Arabs (n = 49) and Punic Carthaginians (n = 28) as well as to six samples from Northeast Africa (n = 307) included for the purpose of understanding Canary Islanders' affinities within a wider context. The analysis employs 28 dental traits, quantifying differences in their expression among the various samples through a summary statistic, CAB Smith's Mean Measure of Divergence (MMD). The MMD analysis indicates that the Canary Island sample is most similar to the four samples from Northwest Africa: the Shawia Berbers, Kabyle Berbers, Bedouin Arabs and Carthaginians, less similar to the three Egyptian samples and least like the three Nubian samples. An intra-island comparison among samples from La Gomera, Gran Canaria and Tenerife reveals low, insignificant MMD values in all cases, implying that inter-island dental morphology differences are not so great as to require hypotheses of separate founding populations.

Interpreting sex differences in enamel hypoplasia in human and non-human primates: Developmental, environmental, and cultural considerations.

The purpose of this review is to provide a synoptic, critical evaluation of the evidence of, and potential etiological factors contributing to, sex differences in the expression of enamel hypoplasia (EH). Specifically, this review considers theoretical expectations and empirical evidence bearing on two central issues. The first of these is the impact of a theorized inherent male vulnerability to physiological stress on sex differences in EH. The second issue is the potential contribution to sex differences in EH of intrinsic differences in male and female enamel composition and development. To address this first issue, EH frequencies by sex are examined in samples subject to a high degree of physiological stress. Based on the concept of inherent male vulnerability (or female buffering), males in stressful environments would be expected to exhibit higher EH frequencies than females. This expectation is evaluated in light of cultural practices of sex-biased investment that mediate the relationship between environmental stress and EH expression. Defects forming prenatally afford an opportunity to study this relationship without the confounding effects of sex-biased postnatal investment. Data bearing on this issue derive from previously conducted studies of EH in permanent and deciduous teeth in both modern and archaeological samples as well as from new data on Indian schoolchildren. To address the second issue, fundamental male-female enamel differences are evaluated for their potential impact on EH expression. A large sex difference in the duration of canine crown formation in non-human primates suggests that male canines may have greater opportunity to record stress events than those of females. This expectation is examined in great apes, whose canines often record multiple episodes of stress and are sexually dimorphic in crown formation times. With respect to the first issue, in most studies, sex differences in EH prevalence are statistically nonsignificant. However, when sex differences are significant, there is a slight trend for them to be greater in males than in females, suggesting a weak influence of greater male vulnerability. Cultural practices of sex-biased investment in children appear to have greater impact on EH expression than does male vulnerability/female buffering. With respect to the second issue, sex differences in the composition and development of enamel were reviewed and determined to have limited or unknown impact on EH expression. Of these factors, only the duration of crown formation was expected to affect EH expression by sex within the great apes. The data support an association between higher defect counts in the canines of great ape males relative to those of females that may be the result of longer crown formation times in the canines of great ape males. This review concludes with an assessment of the nature of the evidence currently available to examine these issues and suggests future avenues for research focused on elucidating them.

Enamel hypoplasia in deciduous teeth of great apes: do differences in defect prevalence imply differential levels of physiological stress?

This paper presents new data on enamel hypoplasia in the deciduous canine teeth of great apes. The enamel defect under consideration is known as localized hypoplasia of primary canines (LHPC), and is characterized by an area of thin or missing enamel on the labial surface of deciduous canine teeth (Skinner [1986a] Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 69:59-69). Goals of this study are: 1) to determine if significant differences in the frequency of LHPC occur among three genera of great apes, and 2) to evaluate variation in LHPC prevalence among great apes as evidence of differential physiological stress. Infant and juvenile apes with deciduous teeth were examined at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History (n = 100) and at the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History (n = 36). Deciduous teeth were observed under oblique incandescent light, with the naked eye and with a 10x hand lens. Enamel hypoplasia was scored using Federation Dentaire International (FDI)-Defects of Dental Enamel (DDE) standards. Hypoplasias were recorded by drawing defect location and size on a dental chart, and by measuring defect size and location with Helios needlepoint dial calipers. The prevalence of LHPC is reported by genus and sex, using two approaches: 1) the frequency of affected individuals-those having one or more deciduous canine teeth scored positive for LHPC; and 2) the number of canine teeth scored positive for LHPC as a percentage of all canine teeth observed. Variation in defect size and location will be described elsewhere. Localized hypoplasia of primary canine teeth was found in 62.5% of 128 individual apes, and in 45.5% of 398 great ape deciduous canines. As in humans, LHPC is the most common form of enamel hypoplasia in deciduous teeth of great apes, while LEH is rare or absent. The distribution and pattern of expression of LHPC in great apes is similar to that described in humans: side differences are not significant, but mandibular canines exhibit the defect two to five times more often than maxillary canine teeth. Differences in LHPC prevalence by sex are small and not significant. Intergeneric differences are large and non-random: chimpanzees (Pan) exhibit a significantly lower frequency of LHPC (22%, n = 50) by individual count, than either the orangutan (Pongo, 88.0%, n = 25) or the gorilla (Gorilla, 88.7%, n = 53). Tooth count prevalences exhibit a similar pattern of variation and are also statistically significant. These findings suggest that large bodied great apes (gorilla and orangutan) may be under greater physiological stress during perinatal and early postnatal development than the chimpanzee. The size, position, and timing of LHPC lesions are currently under analysis and may yield more insight into the etiological origin of this enamel defect.

Dates, caries, and early tooth loss during the Iron Age of Oman.

Diets high in fermentable carbohydrates are known to be highly cariogenic, particularly when contained in very sticky food such as dates. This medium allows food to remain in contact with the teeth, thereby resisting the normal flushing action of the saliva. When comprising a large portion of the diet, food such as this can lead to high caries incidence and accelerated tooth loss. This appears to be the situation found in a skeletal series from the late Iron Age in the Sultanate of Oman (100 BC-AD 893). Dental remains from 37 individuals were used in this study. Antemortem tooth loss (AMTL), caries, and dental attrition data were compiled from the 32 adult and juvenile specimens. In this sample, the caries rate is 35.5% of individuals (39.4% corrected), and 18.4% of teeth (32.4% corrected), while AMTL occurs in 100% (ten of ten) of preserved mandibles. Caries onset in permanent molars begins soon after eruption, with tooth loss and remodeling of the alveolus frequently complete by the time of third molar occlusion.

Canine transposition in prehistoric Pakistan: Bronze Age and Iron Age case reports.

This report documents two prehistoric cases of canine-first premolar transposition (Mx.C.P1) from the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent. Recent discussion of the etiology of canine transposition and reports of high prevalence for the condition in modern India accentuate the significance of the ancient cases reported there. Case 1 is from the Iron Age site of Sarai Khola in northern Pakistan (1000 BC). The specimen, an adult female, 25 to 30 years of age at death, exhibits unilateral Mx.C.P1 transposition on the left side. The condition is associated with a barrel-shaped maxillary left third molar in an otherwise normal and healthy maxillary dental arch. Case 2 is from the Bronze Age urban site of Harappa (2500 BC), an important center of the Indus Valley Civilization. In this specimen, an adult female, transposition is bilateral, resulting in displacement of premolars and large diastemata between the maxillary lateral incisors and first premolars. Bilateral agenesis of maxillary third molars and rotation of maxillary and mandibular teeth occur with transposition in this specimen. In neither case are the lateral incisors reduced in size, peg-shaped, or congenitally absent. This report of Mx.C.P1 transposition in prehistoric times is significant because it provides historical documentation for the female predilection of the trait and establishes its co-occurrence with specific dental variants, such as agenesis, reduction, and rotation of teeth.

Preferential expression of linear enamel hypoplasia on the sectorial premolars of rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta).

Three hundred and sixty rhesus macaque specimens at the Caribbean Primate Research Center were examined for evidence of linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH). A previously unreported intertooth pattern in LEH was observed. Defects occur preferentially on the sectorial premolar of both males and females. Relative to other teeth, the sectorial premolar exhibits more prominent defects and is more likely to exhibit multiple defects. This pattern is unlike the human intertooth LEH pattern and unlike patterns previously reported for monkeys and apes. These observations are discussed in the context of factors thought to influence the intertooth distribution of LEH in humans and in nonhuman primates. The authors reject crown height, the timing of crown development, and the duration of crown formation as factors contributing to the observed pattern and favor an explanation involving enamel thickness, perikymata spacing, and/or prism orientation.

Odontometry and biological affinity in south Asia: analysis of three ethnic groups from northwest India.

Current knowledge of odontometric variation among the people of south Asia is limited, yet variation in tooth size has the potential to answer important questions regarding genetic relationships among contemporary social groups. Here, we report tooth crown diameters for 3 ethnic groups (Bhils, Garasias, Rajputs) from Gujarat State and contrast these data with 10 social groups from north, northwestern, northeastern, west-central, and south India. Univariate descriptive and inferential statistics are presented by group and by sex. Examination of crown diameters demonstrates that tooth size differs significantly between social groups in Gujarat. Cluster analysis of sex-standardized odontometric mean parameter values indicates that in apportionment of tooth size throughout the dentition low-status Garasias are slightly more similar to tribal Bhils than they are to high-status Rajputs. Principal components analysis by sex identifies three components that together account for 58.2% and 56.3% of the total variance among Gujarati females and males, respectively. These components are identified as overall size, a dimensional contrast between mesiodistal diameters and buccolingual diameters, and a dimensional contrast between mesiodistal diameters and buccolingual diameters among anterior teeth coupled with a contrast between anterior teeth (incisors, canines) and posterior teeth (premolars, molars). Ordination of group component scores indicates that (1) males and females of each social group exhibit a pattern of tooth size apportionment most similar to the opposite member of that same social group and (2) low-status Garasias exhibit a tooth size apportionment profile intermediate between tribal Bhils and high-status Rajputs. To place this pattern of odontometric variation among modern Gujaratis in larger perspective, data from Gujarati males were contrasted against males from 10 social groups from north, northwestern, northeastern, west-central, and south India. Cluster analysis of group-standardized odontometric mean parameter values indicates that (1) Gujarati social groups, regardless of social status or caste adherence, are more similar to one another than to any other group included in this analysis and (2) Gujarati social groups share closet affinities with geographically proximate social groups (Ahirs, Jats, Kunbis). Principal components analysis yields three components that combine to explain 64.0% of the total variance. These components are interpreted as a dimensional contrast among posterior teeth, a dimensional contrast among nonmolar teeth, and a contrast between anterior and posterior teeth. Ordination of group component scores indicates that tribal Bhils possess tooth size apportionment profiles that are different from other Indian tribal groups but are proximate to those found among Gujarati Hindu groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Scaphocephaly in a prehistoric skeleton from Harappa, Pakistan.

Irregularities of cranial suture closure resulting in scaphocephaly are documented for a number of prehistoric and historic human populations of the eastern and western hemispheres, but what may be the first recorded case from southern Asia appeared during the 1987 archaeological field season at the Indus Valley Civilization site of Harappa, Pakistan. The female specimen with this condition also exhibits indicators of developmental abnormalities in the postcranial skeleton. These features are discussed in the context of assessing anatomical and ontogenetical relationships of craniostenostic eccentricities with abnormalities of facial, dental and postcranial regions of the skeletons of scaphocephalic individuals.

Dental paleopathology and agricultural intensification in south Asia: new evidence from Bronze Age Harappa.

Patterns of dental disease among Bronze Age people of the Indus Valley Civilization are currently based on early and incomplete reports by non-specialists. This deficiency precludes accurate diachronic analysis of dental disease and its relationship with increasing agriculturalism in the Indian subcontinent. The objective of this paper is to document prevalence of dental disease at Harappa (2500-2000 B.C.), Punjab Province, Pakistan, comparatively evaluate the Harappan dental pathology profile, and use these data to assess theories regarding the dental health consequences of increasingly intensive agricultural dependence. Pathological conditions of the dentition included in the study are abscesses, ante-mortem tooth loss (AMTL), calculus, caries, hypoplasia, hypercementosis, pulp chamber exposure, and alveolar resorption. The Harappan dentition exhibits a dental pathology profile typical of a population whose subsistence base is agriculture. Dental caries at Harappa are present in 6.8% (n = 751) of the teeth and 43.6% (n = 39) of the more completely preserved dental specimens. The use of a caries correction factor is recommended to permit an estimate of caries induced AMTL in calculating the caries prevalence. All dental lesions are present at higher rates in this Harappan study sample than were reported in previous investigations, and important differences in prevalence of dental disease occur between the genders. Prevalence of dental disease increases in the greater Indus Valley as subsistence becomes more intensive and as food preparation and storage technology becomes more efficient.

Localized enamel hypoplasia of human deciduous canine teeth: prevalence and pattern of expression in rural Pakistan.

Localized hypoplasia of the labial surface of deciduous canine teeth is a widely reported enamel defect, the etiology of which remains enigmatic. Published frequencies for this defect are based on small or biased samples from prehistoric and clinical contexts. In this study I report the prevalence and pattern of expression of this defect among 113 schoolchildren of Harappa village, Punjab Province, Pakistan. The labial surface of deciduous canines of children between the ages of 5 and 8 years was examined using a penlight; age, sex, stature, and socioeconomic status were also recorded. The defect occurs in 34.5% of the subjects studied and in 14.6% of the teeth examined. No significant association was found between the presence of the defect and gender, socioeconomic status, stature, or side of the jaw. The hypoplastic lesion occurs more frequently in the mandible than in the maxilla, and bilateral expressions are less common than unilateral expressions. These results confirm specific aspects of earlier studies and imply that localized (circular) enamel hypoplasia of deciduous teeth, unlike linear enamel hypoplasia, is not a marker of systemic growth disruption.

Traumatic injuries of prehistoric teeth: new evidence from Baluchistan and Punjab Provinces, Pakistan.

Traumatic lesions of the dentition are rarely reported, while skeletal trauma constitutes a significant portion of the paleopathology literature. The purpose of this paper is to show how meticulous analysis of traumatic dental lesions can provide insights into patterns of behavior in prehistory. Two cases of dental trauma from prehistoric Pakistan illustrate some crucial problems in diagnosing the etiology of traumatic lesions. Bio-behavioral insights derived from the analysis of dental trauma compliment inferences gleaned from more traditional approaches, including the study of dental attrition and dental morphology.

Activity-induced patterns of dental abrasion in prehistoric Pakistan: evidence from Mehrgarh and Harappa.

A detailed investigation of worn teeth should reveal a record of past activity patterns including information regarding diet, food preparation methods, and craft or occupational activities. Anthropological studies of the extensive dental samples from Neolithic (MR 3) and Chalcolithic (MR 2) levels at Mehrgarh, Baluchistan, and Bronze Age Harappa, Punjab, yielded several interesting examples of unusual dental abrasion. This paper provides macro- and microscopic (scanning electron microscope) descriptions of three types of activity-induced dental abrasion: 1) interproximal tooth grooving and interproximal abrasion patches, 2) facial abrasion of maxillary anterior teeth, and 3) lingual abrasion of maxillary incisors in association with rounded wear of lower incisors. The gross size and shape of abrasion features, the orientation of microscopic wear striae, and ethnographic parallels are employed in inferring causal factors involved in their formation. Behavioral activities and dietary explanations possibly associated with each type of dental wear are considered and their implications for reconstructing prehistoric activity patterns discussed. The need for extensive ethno-anthropology research into variations of tooth use among living people with different diets, subsistence bases, and craft specializations is essential to further progress in this field.

Biological relationships derived from morphology of permanent teeth: recent evidence from prehistoric India.

Morphological variation in permanent teeth of prehistoric populations yields clues to their relationships with other prehistoric and living people. This paper documents variation in fourteen variants of the permanent tooth crown for the late Chalcolithic skeletal series from Inamgaon (1600-700 BC), an early farming settlement in western India. In comparison of the dental morphology profile at Inamgaon with American Indians and American Whites, the people of Inamgaon were found to more closely resemble American Whites. However, specific traits deviated in the direction of Amerindian dental trait frequencies, suggesting gene flow from north and east Asian populations. The dental morphology of the Inamgaon sample is similar to dental patterns characteristic of prehistoric Pakistani samples from Sarai Khola and Timargarha. However, Inamgaon and Timargarha exhibit somewhat more complex crown morphology than the Sarai Khola sample, suggesting a closer relationship between them and greater antiquity of residence in the subcontinent, in contrast to Sarai Khola sample.

Deciduous dental morphology and the biological affinities of a late Chalcolithic skeletal series from western India.

Morphological variations of the dental crown and roots provide valuable data for determining the genetic affinities and evolutionary adaptedness of prehistoric human skeletal populations. This paper documents morphological variations of a sample of deciduous teeth from the late Chalcolithic farming village of Inamgaon (1600-700 B.C.) in western India. Hanihara's (1963) grading system of deciduous dental traits was employed in assessing the degree of expression of shovel-shape of incisors, cusp number of upper and lower first molars, hypocone variation, Carabelli's trait, cusp number of lower second molars and the protostylid. Turner's (1970) classification was used to determine presence and size of accessory cusps: entoconulid (C-6) and metaconulid (C-7). Comparative evaluation of the Inamgaon deciduous dental data is hampered by the absence of data for dental features of living and prehistoric South Asian populations. Many of the traits observed in the Inamgaon series exhibit a frequency of occurrence intermediate between figures characteristic of the "Mongoloid" dental complex and the "Caucasoid" dental complex.