The Anthropology of Modern Human Teeth

All humans share certain components of tooth structure, but show variation in size and morphology around this shared pattern. This is the first worldwide synthesis of the global variation in tooth structure in recent human populations, giving new insights into issues such as the origin of modern humans.

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All humans share certain components of tooth structure, but show variation in size and morphology around this shared pattern which is studied by dental anthropologists. This book presents the first worldwide synthesis of the global variation in tooth structure in recent populations. It: • describes the methods and assumptions used by dental anthropologists • discusses the genetic basis of nonmetric dental traits • portrays the geographic variation of tooth crown and root traits • analyzes dental variation on a global scale paralleling major genetic and craniometric analyses The book illustrates more than 30 tooth crown and root traits and reviews their biological and genetic underpinnings. This analysis links extinct and extant populations and so serves as a useful tool for elucidating population relationships and histories.