Subject(s)
Cognition Disorders/history , Ethnicity/history , Plagiocephaly, Nonsynostotic/history , Central America , Cognition Disorders/ethnology , History, 15th Century , History, 16th Century , History, 17th Century , History, 18th Century , History, 19th Century , Humans , Indians, Central American/history , Indians, North American/history , Mexico , North America , Plagiocephaly, Nonsynostotic/ethnologyABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Throughout history, prehistoric and even some contemporary civilizations have practiced various forms of intentional and unintentional cranial deformation. Plagiocephaly can be the result of craniosynostosis, infant positioning, or other unintentional or intentional deformation. MATERIALS: We reviewed the medical and anthropological literature and the anthropological collections of Arizona State University and the San Diego Museum of Man for evidence of cranial deformation and its possible physiological and cognitive side effects. Evidence of cranial shaping was also sought among art or stone work from representative cultures. RESULTS: The anthropological record and literature attest to the presence of much more severe forms of deformation than that seen as a result of contemporary infant positioning. Despite this evidence, there is no anthropological evidence as to the possible cognitive effects that such deformation may have, although some evidence is reviewed that suggests a possible physiological mechanism for the same. CONCLUSION: Because we can only view these cultures through the relics of time, any conclusions one might draw from the anthropological and historical record regarding the cognitive effects of head deformation can only be inferred through generalized observations and are tenuous. Nevertheless, there does not seem to be any evidence of negative effect on the societies that have practiced even very severe forms of intentional cranial deformation (e.g., the Olmec and Maya). On the other hand, the physical anthropology and the contemporary developmental literature suggest possible mechanisms for such an effect.
Subject(s)
Cognition Disorders/history , Ethnicity/history , Plagiocephaly, Nonsynostotic/history , Cognition Disorders/etiology , Cognition Disorders/physiopathology , Cultural Characteristics , Ethnicity/psychology , History, 15th Century , History, 16th Century , History, 17th Century , History, 18th Century , History, 19th Century , History, 20th Century , History, Ancient , History, Medieval , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Plagiocephaly, Nonsynostotic/complications , Plagiocephaly, Nonsynostotic/ethnologyABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: An externally applied force to the cranial vault has been reported to affect the growth of the facial skeleton. However, the effect on the mandible is unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between anteroposterior cranial vault deformation and mandibular morphology. METHODS: The study sample included 44 women's crania with intact faces and bases that were excavated from archaeological sites in the Azapa Valley in northern Chile. The crania were divided into anteroposterior deformation (AP) and undeformed (U) groups according to frontal, parietal, and occipital curvatures. The sizes of the cranial vault, middle face, and mandible were measured with calipers. Lateral cephalograms were taken and analyzed according to a conventional method. RESULTS: Cranial base angle, bizygomatic breadth and upper facial height, bicondylar breadth, anterior breadth, and mandibular body length were significantly larger, and the mandibular angle was significantly smaller, in the AP group than in the U group. CONCLUSIONS: The anteroposteriorly shorter and wider cranial deformation caused by externally applied forces in infancy might affect the bone-remodeling process of the mandibular angle, leading to a smaller mandibular angle in adulthood.
Subject(s)
Mandible/pathology , Mandibular Diseases/etiology , Plagiocephaly, Nonsynostotic/complications , Cephalometry , Chile , Female , History, Ancient , Humans , Indians, South American/history , Mandibular Diseases/pathology , Maxillofacial Development , Paleopathology , Plagiocephaly, Nonsynostotic/historyABSTRACT
In literature, plagiocephaly is defined as abnormal asymmetrical head shape with unilateral flattening of the anterior and/or posterior part of the skull. It is classified as synostotic or deformational. Synostotic plagiocephaly is the result of premature unilateral fusion of neurocranim sutures. Positional plagiocephaly is caused by asymmetrical intrauterine and/or postnatal external forces. The authors report findings of both types of plagiocephaly in the dry skull collection from pertaining Broumov Ossuary (13th-18th century), Czech Republic. In the paper, the incidence of paleopathological asymmetrical skull deformities is discussed in the context with recent clinical data.
