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Radiographic study of the Broadbeach Aboriginal dentition
Author(s) -
Elvery Mark W.,
Savage Neil W.,
Wood Walter B.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
american journal of physical anthropology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.146
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1096-8644
pISSN - 0002-9483
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1096-8644(199810)107:2<211::aid-ajpa7>3.0.co;2-x
Subject(s) - dentition , dentistry , osteology , tribe , medicine , incisor , population , molar , attrition , pulp (tooth) , radiography , tooth wear , orthodontics , anatomy , surgery , environmental health , sociology , anthropology
This study forms part of a larger anthropological investigation of the Ngaraangbal Aboriginal Tribe's ancestral burial ground at Broadbeach, Australia. It examines the dentition, records the associated pathology in a noninvasive manner, and relates this to the likely subsistence diet of the tribe. The Broadbeach osteological collection was returned for reburial in 1985; however, radiographic and photographic records of 36 adult males were available. These form the basis of our study. The pathology noted in the study sample was compared with a representative sample (n = 38) of pre‐European Aboriginal remains from throughout Queensland for verification purposes only. Rates of dental pathology and injury were calculated from the radiographic and photographic records. There was a significant rate of tooth‐wear related intra‐bony pathology (4.0%), moderate to severe alveolar bone loss, and heavy dental attrition, of which the mandibular posterior teeth were the most severely affected. Caries prevalence (0.8%) was low for hunter‐gatherer populations. A large number of molar pulp chambers had a distinctive “cruciate” morphology resulting from the formation of secondary dentine and pulp stones. Injuries and abnormalities included upper central incisor avulsion (58.3%) and taurodontism. These results support the proposal that the Ngaraangbal tribe was a hunter‐gatherer population subsisting on an abrasive diet that included marine foods. Am J Phys Anthropol 107:211–219, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.