Developmental Stress in Immature Hominines from Late Pleistocene Eurasia: Evidence from Enamel Hypoplasia

Skinner, Mark

doi:10.1006/jasc.1996.0078

Cited by 67 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…However, the prevalence of DPs in Dmanisi does not seem to exceed the (inferred) prevalence in African early Homo, nor the prevalence documented for several DPs in the Neanderthals (Skinner 1996;Guatelli-Steinberg 2004;Guatelli-Steinberg et al 2004;Lacy 2014a). This indicates that the Dmanisi people were well able to cope with their harsh environment, most probably through technocultural adaptation.…”

Section: Implications For the Paleobiology Of The Dmanisi Demementioning

confidence: 78%

“…In mid-to-late Pleistocene hominins such as the Neanderthals, dental pathologies are comparatively well documented (Smith 1976;Trinkaus 1978;Trinkaus 1985;Frayer and Russell 1987;Lalueza et al 1993;Tillier et al 1995;Skinner 1996;Trinkaus et al 2000;Lebel and Trinkaus 2002;Guatelli-Steinberg et al 2004;Walker et al 2011;Topić et al 2012;Lozano et al 2013;Lacy 2014a). A wide range of pathological features has been reported, from developmental defects such as linear enamel hypoplasia, to antemortem tooth loss, and in-vivo effects such as interproximal grooves reflecting the habitual use of toothpicks.…”

Section: Abstract: Aging Tooth Wear Caries Periodontitismentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Implications For the Paleobiology Of The Dmanisi Demementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The specimens from Sima del Elefante (estimated to 1.3 MA) and Sima de los Huesos (0.3 MA) display a wide diversity of pathologies such as alveolar lytic lesions, hypercementosis and dental calculus (Martinon-Torres et al 2011), as well as periodontal disease, periapical infections, and even osteitis ). The Broken Hill maxillary dentition (0.3-0.125 MA) displays hypercementosis, multiple lesions of cariogenic origin, periodontal disease, and possible effects of hyposalivation (Koritzer and St Hoyme 1979;Puech et al 1980;Bartsiokas and Day 1993;Lacy 2014b).In mid-to-late Pleistocene hominins such as the Neanderthals, dental pathologies are comparatively well documented (Smith 1976;Trinkaus 1978;Trinkaus 1985;Frayer and Russell 1987;Lalueza et al 1993;Tillier et al 1995;Skinner 1996;Trinkaus et al 2000;Lebel and Trinkaus 2002;Guatelli-Steinberg et al 2004;Walker et al 2011;Topić et al 2012;Lozano et al 2013;Lacy 2014a). A wide range of pathological features has been reported, from developmental defects such as linear enamel hypoplasia, to antemortem tooth loss, and in-vivo effects such as interproximal grooves reflecting the habitual use of toothpicks.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Lucas et al (2013) proposed that the presence of quartz dust in the environment (and thus in the diet) substantially affects rates of tooth wear. On a larger scale, climatic conditions (latitude) and climatic fluctuations have been shown to influence the prevalence of dentognathic pathologies, both among modern humans and Neanderthals (Skinner 1996;Larsen 1997;Guatelli-Steinberg 2001;Lacy 2014a).Comprehensive studies that cover a wide spectrum of DPs in early hominins are currently unavailable, such that the evidence provided in this study can only partially be compared in a broader context. Based on the existing information from the fossil hominin case studies mentioned earlier [see introduction, discussion, and (Ward et al 1982;Ripamonti 1988;Grine et al 1990;Gibson and Calcagno 1993)] it is not possible to infer the prevalence of specific DPs.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Comparative analysis of dentognathic pathologies in the Dmanisi mandibles

Margvelashvili

Zollikofer

Lordkipanidze

et al. 2016

American J Phys Anthropol

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Objectives: Due to the scarcity of the fossil record, in-vivo changes in the dentognathic system of early Homo are typically documented at the level of individual fossil specimens, and it remains difficult to draw population-level inferences about dietary habits, diet-related activities and lifestyle from individual patterns of dentognathic alterations. The Plio-Pleistocene hominin sample from Dmanisi (Georgia), dated to 1.77 million years ago, offers a unique opportunity to study in-vivo changes in the dentognathic system of individuals belonging to a single paleodeme of early Homo. Materials and Methods: We analyze dentognathic pathologies in the Dmanisi sample, and in comparative samples of modern Australian and Greenlander hunter-gatherer populations, applying clinical protocols of dentognathic diagnostics. Results: The Dmanisi hominins exhibit a similarly wide diversity and similar incidence of dentognathic pathologies as the modern human hunter-gatherer population samples investigated here. Dmanisi differs from the modern population samples in several respects: At young age tooth wear is already advanced, and pathologies are more prevalent. At old age, hypercementosis is substantial. Discussion: Results indicate that dentognathic pathologies and disease trajectories are largely similar in early Homo and modern humans, but that the disease load was higher in early Homo, probably as an effect of higher overall stress on the dentognathic system. Key words: aging, tooth wear, caries, periodontitisThe Plio-Pleistocene site of Dmanisi has yielded a large sample of hominin fossils associated with abundant and diverse faunal remains and Mode I stone artifacts (Gabunia et al. 2001;Ferring et al. 2011;Mgeladze et al. 2011). Occupation of the site began shortly after 1.85 Ma. The fossil hominin finds are dated to 1.77 Ma (Ferring et al. 2011). Dmanisi thus represents the earliest evidence of Homo outside of Africa. The well-preserved cranial, mandibular and postcranial remains of five individuals are unique in offering detailed insights into patterns of morphological variation within a paleodeme of early Homo, and into patterns of growth and aging Margvelashvili et al. 2013;Zollikofer et al. 2014). The craniomandibular morphology of the Dmanisi paleodeme has been described previously (Gabunia and Vekua 1995;Gabunia et al. 2000;Gabunia et al. 2001;Gabounia et al. 2002;Lordkipanidze et al. 2005;Lordkipanidze et al. 2006;Rightmire et al. 2006;Rightmire and Lordkipanidze 2010;Lordkipanidze et al. 2013;Margvelashvili et al. 2013). Cranial and mandibular morphological variation within the Dmanisi paleodeme is wide, but well within the range of variation seen in modern humans populations, and in populations of chimpanzee subspecies (Skinner et al. 2006;Lordkipanidze et al. 2013;Margvelashvili et al. 2013;Zollikofer et al. 2014). Variation in size, shape and dentognathic features among the Dmanisi mandibles has received special attention and has been studied to address questions of phylogeny, taxonomy, sexual dimorphism, die...

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Section: Implications For the Paleobiology Of The Dmanisi Demementioning

confidence: 78%

Section: Abstract: Aging Tooth Wear Caries Periodontitismentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Implications For the Paleobiology Of The Dmanisi Demementioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Comparative analysis of dentognathic pathologies in the Dmanisi mandibles

Margvelashvili

Zollikofer

Lordkipanidze

et al. 2016

American J Phys Anthropol

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

Guatelli‐Steinberg

Lukacs

1999

Am. J. Phys. Anthropol.

105

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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.

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

Lukacs

1999

Am. J. Phys. Anthropol.

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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.

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Developmental Stress in Immature Hominines from Late Pleistocene Eurasia: Evidence from Enamel Hypoplasia

Cited by 67 publications

References 41 publications

Comparative analysis of dentognathic pathologies in the Dmanisi mandibles

Comparative analysis of dentognathic pathologies in the Dmanisi mandibles

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

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

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