Tooth fractures in the Krapina Neandertals.

Dental fractures can be produced during life or post-mortem. Ante-mortem chipping may be indicative of different uses of the dentition in masticatory and non-masticatory activities related to variable diets and behaviors. The Krapina collection (Croatia, 130,000 years BP), thanks to the large number of teeth (293 teeth and tooth fragments) within it, offers an excellent sample to investigate dental fractures systematically.

Funerary practices of the Iberomaurusian population of Taforalt (Tafoughalt; Morocco, 11-12,000BP): new hypotheses based on a grave by grave skeletal inventory and evidence of deliberate human modification of the remains.

The Iberomaurusian necropolis of Taforalt (Morocco, 11-12,000BP), excavated by Roche in the 1950s, contains 28 multiple graves. The osteological collection has been the focus of many anthropological studies and has been used as a comparative sample for other paleoanthropological investigations. The presence of particular sepulchral structures and the use of ochre testify to complex funerary practices, which have not been adequately investigated thus far.

Age estimation by pulp/tooth ratio in canines by mesial and vestibular peri-apical X-rays.

Changes in the size of the pulp canal, caused by apposition of secondary dentine, are the best morphometric parameters for estimating age by X-rays. The apposition of secondary dentine is the most frequently used method for age estimation in adult subjects. In two previous papers, we studied the application of the pulp/tooth area ratio by peri-apical X-rays as an indicator of age at death.

Age estimation by pulp/tooth ratio in canines by peri-apical X-rays.

Estimation of age in individuals has received considerable attention in forensic science, in which it is a widely used method for individual identification, together with paleo-demographic analyses to establish mortality patterns in past populations. The present investigation, which is a continuation of a previously published pilot study, was conducted to examine the possible application of the pulp/tooth area ratio by peri-apical images as an indicator of age at death. A total of 200 peri-apical X-rays of upper and lower canines were assembled from 57 male and 43 female skeletons of Caucasian origin, aged between 20 and 79 years.

Continuity or discontinuity of the life-style in central Italy during the Roman Imperial Age-Early Middle Ages transition: diet, health, and behavior.

Dento-alveolar pathologies and alterations (dental wear, caries, abscesses, ante mortem tooth loss (AMTL), calculus, hypoplastic defects, and chipping) and skeletal markers of health (cribra orbitalia and periostitis) were analyzed in two skeletal samples from the necropolises of Quadrella (I-IV c. AD) and Vicenne-Campochiaro (VII c. AD) in the Molise region of central Italy.

Proposal of a data collection form to record dento-alveolar features--application to two Roman skeletal samples from Italy.

Bones and teeth are an important source of information about the lifestyle, health status and dietary habits of past populations. Modifications and lesions of the periodontal tissues also provide information about the health status and behavior of an individual or of an ancient population. In this paper a method to record some dento-alveolar features of both deciduous and permanent teeth is described.