Quantification of the Dental Morphology of Orangutans

Abstract

Orangutans are believed to have close biological affinities to humans. Teeth being the hardest tissue provide useful information on primate evolution. Furthermore, knowledge of the pulp chamber and root canal morphology is important for dental treatment. A female Bornean orangutan and a Sumatran male orangutan skull were available for this study. Both of their dentitions, comprising 50 teeth, were scanned employing the cone-beam computed tomography for both metrical and nonmetrical analyses. Measurements included tooth and crown length, root length, enamel covered crown height, root canal length (posterior teeth), length of pulpal space (anterior teeth), and root canal width. Nonmetrical parameters included number of canals per root, number of foramina in each root, and root canal morphology according to Vertucci's classification. It was found that the enamel covered crown height was the longest in the upper central incisors although the canine was the longest amongst the anterior teeth. Both the upper premolars were three-rooted while the lower second premolar of the Sumatran orangutan was two-rooted, with two foramina. The mandibular lateral incisors of the Bornean orangutan were longer than the central incisors, a feature similar to humans. In addition, secondary dentine deposition was noticed, a feature consistent with aged humans.

Unusual Dental Morphology in a Chimpanzee: A Case Report Utilizing Cone-Beam Computed Tomography

“…In this chimpanzee, the maxillary second premolars had 2 roots (labial and palatal), while the same tooth had 3 roots in 2 orangutans and generally 1 root in humans. 14,27 The mandibular second premolars of this chimpanzee had 2 roots, similar to the 2 orangutans previously decribed. 14 In contrast, the human second premolar has only 1 root.…”

“…14,27 The mandibular second premolars of this chimpanzee had 2 roots, similar to the 2 orangutans previously decribed. 14 In contrast, the human second premolar has only 1 root. 28 Hard object feeders have thicker enamel than soft-object feeders.…”

“…This study of chimpanzee dentition is a continuation of our research on another great ape, the orangutan. The same standardized measurement methods used for the 2 orangutans 14 were employed here. A well-preserved skull of a male P troglodytes troglodyte was obtained with special permission for enhancement of teaching learning from the National Zoo in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Figure 1).…”

Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) as a tool for the analysis of nonhuman skeletal remains in a medico-legal setting

“…In particular, the use of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) technology has been previously described in a medico-legal setting as a three-dimensional method with quick scanning times and fewer image artifacts 6 . CBCT has been used successfully in animal samples to analyse dental anatomy and pulpal morphology 7,8 .…”

Root and Root Canal Morphology and Its Variation of the Human Mandibular Canine: A Literature Review

“…The prevalence of the number of roots and of the number of canals of the mandibular canine reported in anatomic studies varies greatly in the literature. The factors that can contribute to differences observed in the various anatomic studies may be ethnicity, 20,21 age, [22][23][24][25] gender 26 , unintentional bias in the selection of clinical examples of patients or teeth (specialty endodontic practice versus general dental practice), as well as study design (in vitro versus in vivo). Normal root and root canal anatomy of the mandibular canines are well documented in numerous textbooks, but there is a great deal of variation in the reporting of the incidence of anomalies.…”