Occlusal variation in Australian Aboriginals

Abstract

Variation of dental occlusion around established norms has frequently been related to industrialized or modernized life habits. This tendency has been tested among samples (n = 48) of older (originally nomadic) and younger (settled and rationed) Australian Aboriginals. Although significant differences are found in incisor relation traits, tooth malalignment, and relative arch breadth, these are slight compared to some other studies of peoples undergoing one-generation dietary westernization. Reasons for this might relate to concomitantly subtle differences in diet or masticatory habits, genetic buffering, attrition gradient, tooth size, biased sampling according to tooth retention, or fluoride in water supplies.

Yuendumu legacy of a longitudinal growth study in Central Australia

“…One of the students was Sue Taji, shown here discussing with Jim Rogers some dental models of twins Early in the decade, publications described dental occlusion and the development of occlusion in the Warlpiri people together with the Adelaide team's consolidated views of occlusal function Corruccini et al, 1990a). In the late 1990s, a team of researchers led by Professor Sen Nakahara from the Nippon Dental University at Niigata, Japan, visited Adelaide and continued the study of development of dental occlusion in the Yuendumu Aboriginal people.…”

“…Corruccini measured various occlusal features in a sample of older, originally nomadic Aboriginal people and compared the findings with a younger group who had lived at Yuendumu all of their lives. Differences, albeit relatively small ones, were found in the relationships of the incisor teeth, the alignment of teeth, and the relative breadths of the dental arches between the older and younger groups (Corruccini et al, 1990a). The authors of the study offered several reasons to explain the differences, including the possibility that a reduction in vigorous masticatory activity may lead to reduced growth of the maxilla and an increase in dental crowding.…”

Dental arch dimensions and tooth wear in two samples of children in the 1950s and 1990s

“…11,39,41 Past investigations identifi ed a large amount of tooth wear in primitive populations, where the prevalence of malocclusions was lower when compared with current groups. 10,[42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52] Previous studies have shown an increasing prevalence for certain malocclusions in the past 30 years of last century. 5,6 The aim of this study was to test whether there has been a signifi cant increase or decrease in the amount of wear of deciduous teeth during the same period, due to an occlusal aspect, possibly correlated to malocclusions.…”

Statistical and biological definitions of “anatomically modern” humans: Suggestions for a unified approach to modern morphology

“…Recently, several promising studies have shed light on these issues, including work on the amount of morphological diversity in recent humans that likely reflects genetic drift [58][59][60] and the effects of the toughness of foods on the cranial morphology and occlusion of nonhuman primates, 61,62 retrognathic mammals (for example, hyraxes 63 ), and humans from different parts of the world. [64][65][66][67] Nevertheless, much remains to be done before these relationships become completely clear.…”