Tooth Size Variation in Prehistoric India

Abstract

Permanent dental crown dimensions are largely unknown for living and prehistoric populations of South Asia. This paper describes permanent tooth crown measurements and indices for the Late Chalcolithic skeletal series from Inamgaon (1700‐700 B.C.) in western India. These data are compared with tooth size data for prehistoric populations in India and both living and prehistoric populations outside the South Asian subcontinent. In summed cross‐sectional area, the Inamgaon (1,218 mm2) permanent teeth are most similar to prehistoric skeletal series from Mahurjhari, India, Non Nok Tha, Thailand, and Bellan Bandi Palassa, Sri Lanka. The Inamgaon total crown area is only 3.1% smaller than the figure reported for early Neolithic skeletons from Mehr‐garh, Pakistan, indicating the relatively large size of the Inamgaon dentition. Large tooth size at Inamgaon is interpreted as a biological adaptation to coarse dietary items, basic food preparation methods, and a mixed economy that included hunting wild game and collecting wild fruit. Dental indices of “ethnic” significance are perhaps better interpreted as indicators of masticatory stress and differential dental reduction. Maxillary and mandibular third molars show minimal reduction in crown size, but mandibular second molar teeth are distinctly reduced in size. The Incisor Breadth Index may indicate mixed genetic ancestry of the Inamgaon people or similar dietary stresses in genetically different populations.

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