UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Disturbances and noise: Defining furrow-form enamel hypoplasia

Bocaege, E; Hillson, S; (2016) Disturbances and noise: Defining furrow-form enamel hypoplasia. American Journal of Physical Anthropology , 161 (4) pp. 744-751. 10.1002/ajpa.23070. Green open access

[thumbnail of Bocaege and Hillson Disturbances and noise.pdf]
Preview
Text
Bocaege and Hillson Disturbances and noise.pdf

Download (1MB) | Preview

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The investigation of the record of growth locked in dental enamel provides a unique opportunity to build a comprehensive picture of growth disruption episodes during childhood. This study presents a new methodological basis for the analysis of enamel growth disruptions (enamel hypoplasia) using incremental microstructures of enamel. METHODS: A three-dimensional technique based upon use of an Alicona 3D Infinite Focus imaging microscope and software is used to record developmental features in the enamel of human permanent mandibular lateral incisors of one individual from the Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük (Turkey). Using this new technique, perikymata are measured down the longitudinal axis of the crown from the incisal margin to the cervix and perikyma spacing profiles are constructed with this new technique. A mathematical basis for the detection of spacing anomalies, which serve as indicators of enamel hypoplasia is presented based upon these profiles. RESULTS: Three clearly delineated defects were identified visually, then matched and confirmed metrically using the enamel surface and perikyma spacing profiles. DISCUSSION: Human growth has often been used as an indicator of health in past societies because of developmental sensitivity to fluctuations in nutritional status and disease load. Hence, standardization of furrow-form defect identification is of crucial importance for reducing the amount of current subjectivity in the determination of a threshold for the identification of defects among individuals of past populations. The method presented here, which is based on microscopic images of the tooth crown as well as recorded measurements of incremental structures, represents a combined visual-metric approach using LOWESS residuals, and as such provides a substantial advancement to previous methods. It is therefore recommended that additional studies be carried out with this methodology to determine whether this method improves the reliability of enamel defect identification among individuals recovered from bioarchaeological contexts.

Type: Article
Title: Disturbances and noise: Defining furrow-form enamel hypoplasia
Location: United States
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23070
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.23070
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: çatalhöyük; enamel hypoplasia; incremental markings; three-dimensional analysis
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Institute of Archaeology
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Institute of Archaeology > Institute of Archaeology Gordon Square
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1521541
Downloads since deposit
220Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item