Teeth size reduction in the prehistoric populations in Serbia

INTRODUCTION: Anthropological studies show craniofacial changes with a reduction in teeth size during evolution of the human population. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to measure and compare the sizes of teeth in the population of the Mesolithic-Neolithic sites in the Iron Gate Gorge and the population from the Early Bronze Age site of Mokrin. METHODS: The study included teeth without advanced wear near the pulp. The material was divided according to the site of the skeletal population in two groups. Group 1 comprised 107 teeth from the Mesolithic-Neolithic sites Lepenski Vir and Vlasac. Group 2 included 158 teeth from the Mokrin graveyard dated in the Early Bronze Age. The mesio-distal diameter was measured in all teeth, while the vestibulo-oral diameter was measured in the molars only. Using the two-factor analysis of variance, the influence of sex, site and their interaction on the size of the teeth were investigated. RESULTS: The vestibulo-oral diameter of the upper third molar was significantly higher in males compared to females. The comparison between the groups showed that the vestibulooral diameter of the lower first molar was significantly higher in group 1. CONCLUSION: The present difference in teeth size indicates the existence of reduction during the prehistoric times. However, the time period between the populations studied is probably too short to be manifested on a large number of teeth.