Skeletal And Dental Maturation Relative To Tooth Formation In Prehistoric Hunter-Gatherers From Cis-Baikal, Siberia

This study reconstructs fusion of skeletal elements and tooth emergence relative to tooth formation among prehistoric hunter-gatherers from Cis-Baikal, Siberia (ca. 8000 to 5200 BP). Tooth formation was recorded using standard protocols. Ages were estimated based on tooth formation stages within an individual. Tooth emergence was recorded as not emerged, emerged beyond the alveolus, or in occlusion. Skeletal epiphyses and apophyses were recorded as fused or unfused. Fisher?s exact tests were used to test heterogeneity in each developmental stage. Tooth emergence occurred in the order reported by earlier studies and ages-at-emergence were similar to those of reference standards. Skeletal epiphyses and apophyses also had low degrees of heterogeneity in each age group and fused in the predicted order. Fusion of the presacral vertebrae and upper limb was similar to reference standards, though maturation in the lower limb was delayed. Low heterogeneity may be attributed to the small sample sizes, though genetic conservation in tooth emergence may also be inferred from these results. In addition, skeletal maturation in the vertebral column confirms that some measurements of the neural canal may be used as appropriate measures of stress exposure in the early life environment. Low levels of heterogeneity in skeletal maturation suggests that these elements may be used to estimate age at death, though caution should be expressed when using the lower limb as fusion of these elements may have been delayed by stress events.