Analysis of correlations between measures of skeletal development and dental mineralization in Pan troglodytes

This study seeks to assess the relationship between dental mineralization and skeletal development in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and to evaluate the effect that differing numbers of ordinal and continuous variables have on correlation statistics, particularly in comparison with prior human studies.

This study evaluated epiphyseal fusion, dental mineralization, and growth in length of long bones using 145 juvenile chimpanzee skeletons housed in osteological collections at the Powell-Cotton Museum, the Museum of Central Africa, and the Adolph Schultz Collection.

Correlations between multiple epiphyseal fusion sites and dental maturity scores for crown and root mineralization were produced using Pearson's r, Spearman's ρ, and Kendall's τ. Correlation statistics were produced using different subgroups of epiphyseal fusion sites and long bone lengths, and both summary and individual tooth development scores.

Methodological considerations were discussed as differences in sample, measurement scale, and statistical technique had an effect on the outcome of correlations obtained. These results suggest that sampling and methodological differences between studies may affect the interpretation and comparison of correlation results, and that correlation strength differences between extant species must be considered before applying such results to questions in human biology and palaeoanthropology. Even after consideration of such factors, the correlation coefficient values for chimpanzees obtained in this study were generally stronger than those previously published in human studies, and may reflect differences in skeletal and dental developmental patterns between species. Am J Phys Anthropol 158:279-287, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.