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Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Sampling and Pretreatment of Tooth Enamel Carbonate for Stable Carbon and Oxygen Isotope Analysis
Published on: August 15, 2018
Dental paleoradiology: applications in paleoanthropology and paleopathology
Kurt W Alt1, Carlos H Buitrago-Téllez
1Institute of Anthropology, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany. altkw@mail.uni-mainz.de
Objective:
To study the emergent role of computed tomography (CT) in the evaluation of ancient human dental remains.
Methods:
We conducted a paleoradiologic study of the skeletal remains of 4 individuals dating from the Pliocene to the Medieval Period. The specialized software used permitted comprehensive analyses of the bone structures of the dental remains and the performing of three-dimensional stereolithographic reconstructions.
Results:
Paleoradiology helps demonstrate the detailed anatomy of fossil specimens, which permitted us to assign 1 of the specimens that we studied to the genus Homo, and not Australopithecus. Tooth and mandibular disease were identified in 2 specimens.
Conclusion:
CT is an essential noninvasive and nondestructive tool for the evaluation of human dental remains.
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