A Sex Discriminant Function Analysis by the Dental Measurements of Koreans / 체질인류학회지

When the bones of a human being are excavated, the teeth in particular can be a great help in distinguishing the sex of the person because they remain unchanged in terms of physical and chemical characteristics. We measured mesiodistal diameters of the crown of teeth and faciolingual diameters of the crown of teeth of 215 adult dental casts (male 109; female 106) and teeth of the 166 cadavers (male 127; female 39). Among these samples, we made use of only measurement values with statistical significance to obtain discriminant functions by discriminant analysis and to verify this study. Fifty one discriminant functions are obtained through several combinations of independent variables so that they can be applied to the bones of human being found in archaeological excavations. Among them, only 34 functions have the statistical significance, showing the correct classification from 64.5 to 89.8%. The other 17 functions are excluded from the discriminant analysis on the basis of Box's M value and Wilks' Lambda value. Among these 34 functions, only 8 functions with high classification accuracy are tested. They show the correct classification from 62.8 to 84.6%. The highest classification accuracy can be achieved when all of the lower teeth (I1 to PM2) are used. The functions from the canine tooth of the lower jaw have high potential usefulness because they can be applied to a variety of materials.

Metric and Non-metric Traits of the Teeth in Past and Present Koreans / 체질인류학회지

Teeth play an important role in mastication and phonation as well as in esthetics. Since metric and non-metric characteristics of teeth can be used in anthropological comparison, archeology and identification, they are very important in physical anthropology, archeology and forensic odontology. However, this subject has rarely been studied in Koreans and therefore data on the anthropological characteristics are scarce. Researchers have measured 5 factors on each tooth and 9 non-metric characteristics of 1085 teeth collected from Gaya, Korea and Chosun people and 1397 teeth collected from the present Koreans (both female and male). Metric and non-metric traits of the teeth were compared in past and present Koreans. Comparing the measurement of the teeth in past and present Koreans, no difference in the faciolingual diameter was seen while slight difference was seen in the mesiodistal diameter of past and present Koreans. Non-metric traits of Koreans showed that 96.4% of past Koreans and 94.2% of present Koreans had shoveling in the maxillary central incisior while 93.1% of past Koreans and 90.6% of present Koreans had shoveling in the maxillary lateral incisor. Therefore shoveling was present in a higher rate in the past Koreans. The result on the comparison of the lingual cusp number on mandibular second premolars, showed that while past Koreans had 1 (48.0%) or 2 (52.0%) lingual cusps, present Koreans had 1 (52.3%), 2 (46.7%) or 3 (1.0%) lingual cusps. The Terra's tubercle was seen on the mesial surface in 53.7% of maxillary first premolar in the present Koreans and 48.7% of maxillary second premolar showed no tubercle. Meanwhile, past Koreans showed a higher rate of Terra's tubercle than present Koreans. Frequence of Carabelli's tubercle in the maxillary first molar was 18.4% in past Koreans and 36.2% in present Koreans. The most common form of occlusal groove pattern in the maxillary first molar was '4' (94.3% in past Koreans, 94.3% in present Koreans) and in the maxillary second molar was '4-' (40.5% in past Koreans, 76.5% in present Koreans). In both the past and present Koreans, The 'Y5' pattern of occlusal groove pattern was most common in the mandibular first molar and '+4' pattern in the mandibular second molar.