This study investigates the variability and role of environmental stress in shaping the dental morphology of archaeological human populations from Prehistory (i.e.,Chalcolithic ~ 5000-3800/3700 BCE, and Bronze Age ~ 3500-2150/1150 BCE) and Late Middle Ages (17th century),discovered in North-Eastern Romania. The upper/ maxillary second molar was used as a phenotypic marker, while odontopathies (e.g., root remains, radicular cysts, and dental enamel hypoplasia) and bone pathologies (e.g., porotic hyperostosis and cribra orbitalia) were used as variables for
assessing the impact of environmental stress.The technique of Geometric Morphometrics was used to analyze the data. A set of landmarks located on the occlusal surface of the molars was used to capture the tooth contour and cusp
shapes. The collected coordinate data was subjected to Generalized Procrustes Analysis, from which Procrustes coordinates and Centroid Size (CS) were derived.Multivariate analysis of bidimensional data emphasized distinct features of the molars based on comparison criteria. Notably, analysis of the tooth buccal region and the intersection points of the cusps on the central occlusal surface yielded distinct morphological models, highlighting the influence of stress
factors on the shape of molars from individuals with dental and bone pathologies. The results obtained in this study provide new argues concerning the complexity of the information deriving from dental morphology. These findings open new perspectives in understanding the evolution of human populations and how they adapted to environmental conditions specific to different historical periods.
- archaeological human populations
- dental morphology
- geometric morphometrics.
- Keywords: environmental stress