Bi4343 Teeth in bioanthropology

Faculty of Science
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Arwa Kharobi, PhD (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Arwa Kharobi, PhD
Department of Anthropology – Biology Section – Faculty of Science
Contact Person: Arwa Kharobi, PhD
Supplier department: Department of Anthropology – Biology Section – Faculty of Science
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 25 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/25, only registered: 18/25, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 18/25
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives (in Czech)
The aim of this course is to show how dental remains can be used in bioanthropological research. It gives students the keys to Identify all the elements of human jaws and dentition together with a detailed introduction to the methodology (micro and macro, destructive and non-destructive) used in the study of teeth to reconstruct individual life and population trajectory regardless its chronological and/or geographical context.
Learning outcomes
During this course, the students will be able to:
1) identify the human dentition,
2) understand the variation in size and shape of the dentition in terms of evolution,
3) assess age at death and sex on the dental remains and exploit the data in paleodemographic premises,
4) record the most common types of dental pathological lesions, metric and non-metric dental traits,
5) discuss dietary practices as a fundamental aspect of human life, as well as ancestry, mobility and social identity.
After completing the course, students should be able to come out with a guidance on how to deal with human dental remains from excavation to restoring in order to create the right protocol with the suitable dental methods and to produce osteological reports.
Syllabus
  • Lecture 1. A story of teeth: from field to laboratory, ethics, excavating, sampling, recording, analysing, restoring, documenting (photos).
  • lecture 2. Teeth & Anatomy: anatomical background to the human dentition, histology of dental tissues and morphology, prenatal growth rates.
  • lecture 3. Teeth & You: How to recognise the teeth (Types and siding) lecture 4. Teeth & Evolution: integrating palaeontology, the dental roots of the human story from modern and fossil teeth.
  • lecture 5. Teeth & Biological Profile: Investigating both destructive and non-destructive approaches for estimating age at death and sex using dental remains, considering reliability and selecting methods based on the context of osteological assemblages and anthropological research.
  • lecture 6. Teeth & You: How to estimate the biological profile from teeth, apply the methods seen previously.
  • lecture 7. Teeth & Health & Diet: indicators of oral health, stress-related growth disturbances, dental pathology, pathogen, dental defects resulted from diseases, macroscopic and microscopic inspections, micro and macro dental wear patterns, isotopic analyses, molecular methods for diet.
  • lecture 8. Teeth & Genetic & Movement: Examining metric and non-metric dental traits, evaluating inter- and intra-observer errors, employing isotope analysis, and utilizing biomolecular methods such as DNA analysis.
  • lecture 9. Teeth & You: How to perform a dental analysis (indicators of Health and Stress).
  • lecture 10. Teeth & Social Identity: dental deformation through time across the world, trauma, artificial teeth
  • lecture 11. A journal club.
  • lecture 12. Teeth & You: How to sample teeth for further analysis.
Literature
    recommended literature
  • Human dental remains, New papers, Osteological reports & Short videos
  • SCOTT, George Richard, Christy G. TURNER, Grant TOWNSEND and María MARTINÓN-TORRES. The anthropology of modern human teeth : dental morphology and its variation in recent and fossil Homo sapiens. Second edition. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2018, xxvi, 396. ISBN 9781316626481. info
  • SCOTT, George Richard and Christy G. TURNER. The anthropology of modern human teeth : dental morphology and its variation in recent human populations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015, 1 online. ISBN 9781316529843. URL info
  • The teeth and their environment : physical, chemical and biochemical influences. Edited by Ralph M. Duckworth. New York: Karger, 2006, ix, 154. ISBN 3805579683. URL info
  • HILLSON, Simon. Teeth. 2nd ed. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005, xiv, 373. ISBN 0521545498. URL info
  • VYSTRČILOVÁ, Michaela. Should metric methods be preffered to morphoscopic ones in age estimation according to teeth sections? In Anthropology and Society. Prague: Vignerova J., Riedlová J., Bláha P., Charles University and Czech Anthropological Society, 2003, p. 216. ISBN 80-86561-06-2. info
  • Primate dentitionan introduction to the teeth of non human primates. Edited by Daris Ray Swindler. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2002, xv, 296 p. ISBN 0521652898. info
  • Development, function, and evolution of teeth. Edited by Mark Franklyn Teaford - Moya Meredith Smith - Mark W. J. Ferguson. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2000, ix, 314 p. ISBN 0521570115. info
  • BROWNE, R. M., H. D. EDMONDSON and P. G. J. ROUT. A Radiological atlas of diseases of the teeth and jaws. [1st ed.]. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, 1983, xiii, 247. ISBN 0471256161. info
  • Development, function and evolution of teeth. Edited by P. M. Butler - K. A. Joysey. [1st ed.]. London: Academic Press, 1978, xix, 523. ISBN 012148050X. info
  • ECCLES, J. D. and R. M. GREEN. The conservation of teeth. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications, 1973, ix, 261. ISBN 0632095504. info
  • ANDREASEN, Jens O. Traumatic injuries of the teeth. 1st ed. Copenhagen: Munksgaard, 1972, 334 s. ISBN 8716004892. info
  • Structural and chemical organization of teeth. Edited by A. E. W. Miles. [1st ed.]. New York: Academic Press, 1967, xv, 489. info
  • THOMA, Kurt H. Oral pathology : a histological, roentgenological, and clinical study of the diseases of the teeth, jaws, and mouth. 4th ed. St. Louis: C.V. Mosby Company, 1954, xviii, 153. info
  • HOPEWELL-SMITH, Arthur. The normal and pathological histology of the mouth : being the second edition of The histology and patho-histology of the teeth and associated parts. Second edition. London: J. & A. Churchill, 1919, xvii, 345. info
  • HOPEWELL-SMITH, Arthur. The normal and pathological histology of the mouth : being the second edition of The histology and patho-histology of the teeth and associated parts. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: P. Blakiston's Son & Co., 1919, x, 477. info
Teaching methods
Theoretical training in form of presentations accompanied with practical training on dental remains, samples and
Mini presentations (short videos) by professional in the sectors.
The course is taught in English.
Assessment methods
The course is concluded with: - written exam (open questions) 50 % - practical exam (identifying teeth, laboratory techniques)50 % To pass the exam successfully the student must prove good knowledge of human dentition and the methods discussed during lectures (+60%).
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2023, Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/sci/spring2025/Bi4343