Vera Njemirovskij

Carabelli's trait in Croatian populations over 1800 years.

Examination and comparison of the morphological features of tooth crown in archaeological and recent samples can be difficult due to the different levels of tooth wear seen both within and between populations. These differences make the comparison of frequency data for Carabelli trait problematic. The aim of the present study is to detect the frequency and degree of expression of Carabellis trait in Croatian populations from late antiquity to recent times and to use these data as supplementary evidence of complex population migration. A total of 1287 individuals from the late antiquity, medieval, early modern and modern periods were examined. Correlation between the presence of Carabellis trait and tooth crown size was tested. The results of our analyses show that the frequency of Carabellis trait is significantly greater in the early modern period (51.3%) and in the 21st century (43.1%) than in the late antiquity (20.4%) and medieval periods (23.4%). These results are consistent with historical evidence of migration and population change in the territory of present-day Croatia throughout the almost 1800 years covered by this study. The results also provide additional evidence for the complex nature of population change in the transition from the late antiquity to the early medieval period.

Toward a reduction in tooth number: the case of P1 in roe deer from Slovenia

Abstract The permanent dentition of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) comprises 30–32 teeth with the following dental formula: I 0/3, C 0/(1), P 3/3, M 3/3. Variations in tooth number and shape are rather uncommon in this species and factors determining roe deer dentition are considered to be quite stable. In both upper and lower jaws the first premolar is normally missing, but can be occasionally observed. To discover the frequency of P1 in the whole population, its occurrence was studied in the left hemi-mandibles of the total one-year (2007) roe deer mortality in Slovenia, representing a large sample set of 41,895 individuals. The first premolar was detected in only 27 individuals (13 males, 12 females, 2 without data), indicating that its occurrence is very low and sporadic (0.6‰). Furthermore, the results of previous archaeozoological and embryological studies were analyzed. On the basis of observed facts, we conclude that the first mandibular premolars of roe deer belong to a category of tooth that has been suppressed in the evolution of the Cervidae.