Odontological methodology. Non-metric traits

Abstract

Human teeth have emerged by means of evolutionary changes from among „numerous and inefficient teeth of other vertebrates. The human dentition develop „at the early stages of epigeny as deciduous, being replaced by permanent dentition at the later stages; they are diversified into certain groups. It has been suggested that morphology of dentition is under strong genetic control but reasons for endogenous character of it is not quite clear. In general after teeth are formed there is practically no opportunity for their modification through environmental influence. Secondly, the human dentition is one of the most durable parts of the body and as such is well preserved in fossil conditions. These facts allow teeth to be a suitable material for examining evolutionary changes and estimating within and bétween—group variations and relationships. To observe odontological variability of groups standardized classification should be used. This is the main purpose of the article, just a presentation — on grounds of odontological literature — currently used methods. The article is composed of two parts: the first one presents non-metric traits, the second (in the next issue) will present methods of description of both number of teeth and their position, and -odontometry. In this article average tooth morphology is presented then different forms of tooth crown are distinguished (e.g. shovel-shaped and double shovel-shaped, modification of the crown associated with the presence of different states of lingual tubercle, forms of premolars). The postcanine dentition occlusal surface patterns are then presented, as well as variability of hypocone and metacone of upper molars. The extra cusps are described (like Carabelli’s cusp, protostylid) and at last root morphology is presented briefly, since much less attention was paid to roots than to crowns in the majority of odontological studies.