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A supernumerary tooth in a 1.7 million‐year‐old Australopithecus robustus from Swartkrans, South Africa
Author(s) -
Ripamonti Ugo,
Petit JeanClaude,
Thackeray J. Francis
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
european journal of oral sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.802
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1600-0722
pISSN - 0909-8836
DOI - 10.1046/j.0909-8836.1999.eos107501.x
Subject(s) - australopithecus , supernumerary , orthodontics , biology , anatomy , medicine
The maxillary dental arch of a partial cranium of an adult specimen of Australopithecus robustus shows the presence of a supernumerary tooth between the right first and second incisors. The fossil specimen, SK 83, is from Swartkrans Member 1 sediments, considered, on the basis of associated fauna, to be approximately 1.7 million yr old. The specimen was analyzed macroscopically, stereomacroscopically and by X-ray computed tomography. The anatomic position and the morphology of the tooth are consistent with a diagnosis of supernumerary lateral incisor rather than a mesiodens or a retained deciduous tooth. This is the first description of a supernumerary tooth found in Plio-Pleistocene hominid fossils from South African cave deposits.