Frequency and Variability of Five Non-Metric Dental Crown Traits in the Primary and Permanent Dentitions of a Racially Mixed Population from Cali, Colombia

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and variability of five non-metric dental crown traits (Carabelli cusp, protostylid, groove pattern, and cusps 6 and 7) in the deciduous (Um2 and Lm2) and permanent (UM1 and LM1) teeth in children in the mixed-dentition, and to compare these frequencies with the literature. A descriptive study was conducted to characterize the dental morphology of young subjects in mixed dentition stages. The Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System (ASUDAS) and Grine, Sciulli, and Hanihara methods were used as reference to compare the prevalence of dental traits in dental casts from 100 subjects from a Colombian racially mixed population. The high prevalence of furrows and pits of the Carabelli cusp, minor expressions of the protostylid (foramen cecum), and the low frequencies of cusps 5 and 6, plus the behavior of the expression of groove pattern collectively suggest that this group reflects influences by both the Mongoloid and Caucasoid dental complexes. Correspondence of trait expression in both the primary and permanent dentition was also demonstrated (P < 0.05). Some of the non-metric trait frequencies also exhibited sexual dimorphism.