咬頭間距離をもちいたヒトとチンパンジーの下顎大臼歯歯冠形状の比較

概要

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Intercusp distances of mandibular permanent first and second molars of Pan troglodytes and Homo sapiens were investigated. Three-dimensional coordinates of the cusp tip at both the enamel dentine junction (EDJ) and outer enamel surface (OES) were obtained for each cusp from high resolution digital reconstructions of these surfaces of the molar crown. These coordinates were then analyzed using Euclidean distance matrix analysis (EDMA). According to the ratio values in the form difference matrices, interspecific difference was more pronounced in the distance between OES and EDJ of each cusp, which corresponds to cuspal enamel thickness, than in the intercusp distances of either surface. Comparison of the intercusp distances on the EDJ revealed that in the first molars of Pan, entoconid position was more distant from the other cusps than in the Homo counterpart. This was true in the case of second molars, but the distance between the other cusps also tended to be larger in Pan. These results are interpreted in relation to function and evolutionary significance of molar crown design.
国立科学博物館の論文