INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ORAL-MEDICAL SCIENCES

Vol. 7 No. 2      December - 2008

ISSN: 1347-9733      UBIC: 136-M

Abstract

Department of Anatomy and Physical Anthropology, Nihon University School of Dntistry at Matsudo made a dental anthropological survey of a Chinese minority in Annin in Yunnan Province in 2007. Subjects were young adults of the Miao people historically derived from Southeast Asian area from whom dental impression models were collected. The frequencies of 22 dental non-metric traits of 7 maxillary and 4 mandibular teeth were recorded. Measurements of the teeth were also made by a digital caliper with the precision of 1/100 mm on mesiodistal and buccolingual diameters of each tooth. The results were compared with those of previous studies including Chinese minorities, Dai, Hani and Naxi, Pumi and with other Asian populations. A principal coordinate analysis based on Smith's Mean Measure of Divergence using the frequencies of 17 traits suggested that the Miao belonged to the Sundadont dentition category, which typifies Southeast Asians and positioned close to the Hani. Statistics and multi-variate analysis of the metric study showed that the Miao had relatively small teeth compared with other four minorities in Yunnan Province. Based on our findings, and presumed past and present distributions of Sinodonty and Sundadonty, it was suggested that the Miao in Yunnan Province have genetically inherited traits similar to the Sundadont peoples of South east Asian to which other four minorities also belonged. However, different combination of the frequent dental traits and small size of the teeth in Miao might suggest that the Miao occupies a different position of their affinity from other four minorities. Keywords: Chinese minority, Miao, dental traits, tooth size, Yunnan, dental anthropology.

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