Duration: 2010 – 2014
Abstract: The study of tooth morphology is a valuable tool to evaluate biological likeliness and influences between human populations, which has been used since the mid-20th century. The permanent dentition of 500 adult individuals (250 male and 250 female), born in central Portugal between the 19th and the 20th century, with the dentition predominantly preserved, will be studied with the aim of characterizing the dental morphology of the sample. This will contribute to define the dental non-metric trait frequencies of the Portuguese population and supply a source of information for further studies. The ASUDAS (Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System) will be used to evaluate teeth morphology. This method, started by Turner, uses plaques conceived to standardize observations, allowing for reliable comparisons. The skeletal and dental remains of these 500 individuals are stored in the Anthropological Museum of the Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra.
Coordinator: Ana Maria Silva (CIAS, Department of Life Sciences, FCTUC), Joel D. Irish (Department of Anthropology, University of Alaska ‐ Fairbanks)
Participants: Luís Miguel Marado
Financial support: Bolsa de Doutoramento Individual, SFRH/BD/70183/2010 ‐ Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia