Dental development, skeletal maturation and body weight at birth in pig-tail macaques (Macaca nemestrina)

The degree of maturation of the deciduous dentition and the permanent first molar, as assessed from radiographs, was compared to body weight and carpal development in Macaca nemestrina at birth. All deciduous teeth were present in various stages of development. The permanent molar was represented by 1 to 4 mineralized cusps in 85% of the sample population. A dental maturation score, calculated for each animal, ranged from 12 to 19, with approx. 50% having a score of 17. Compared with the human dentition, that of the neonatal macaque was appreciably more advanced at birth. Carpal development and birth weight were much more variable than dental maturation. Because there appeared to be less variability in tooth development at birth than in the other maturational indicators, tooth formation may offer a better and more accurate estimate of physiological age in this species at this critical time of development.