Toothwort chronology evaluation in aboriginal and creole groups of the Gran Chaco (Formosa, Argentina)

Abstract

A dental eruption chronology analysis was performed as an evaluation of the functional maturation in individuals belonging to aboriginal and creole communities from the Gran Chaco (Formosa, Argentina). The analysis focused on the dental elements in each arcade and their eruption order. The objective of the present work was to examine the behaviour of these variables in the infantile population of both sexes in the above mentioned communities. The sample included 159 children between 6 and 12 years. The applied methodology was the individual dental pieces counting. Data were registered on a pertinent odontology record. Teeth eruption percentages were calculated for each age and sex. The pieces eruption order was analysed comparatively in each investigated sample and corresponding calculations were carried out. The results indicate eruption differences among aboriginal and creoles groups; the alteration in the eruption order, with a higher percentage for the second premolar than for the second molars and the advance of the girls' teeth eruption with regard to the boys in all cases. We conclude that the two groups belonging to the same geographical area, but with different socio-economic level, showed differences in the toothwort chronology that would indicate an environmental influence over the genetic determinant.

Key words: dental eruption, Wichí, Toba, creoles, children.