[A dental anthropological study of Chinese in Taiwan (3). Dental trait]

Models of the upper and lower dental arches of 125 Chinese children in Taiwan with acceptable normal permanent dentition were surveyed in order to understand the developmental grades of dental traits from the viewpoint of dental anthropology. Developmental grades of dental traits were classified, calculated, statistically analysed by x2 test and results were summarized. Upper anterior teeth showed high frequency of shovel form; upper lateral incisors showed less tendency of regression. Interstitial cusp, lingual cusp, paracusp, central prominence and occlusal groove of lower premolars developed prominently. Upper molars showed low frequency of Carabelli cusps. Hypocone of upper second molars showed strong tendency of regression, but metacone had low regression tendency and a strong degree of compression. Compared to Japanese, Central American and South American Indians and Caucasians, the development of dental traits of Chinese in Taiwan was more similar to that of Japanese than to others. The characteristics of dental trait of Chinese in Taiwan and Japanese also showed greater similarity to Central and South American Indians than to Caucasians.