Why do bioacchaeologists pay so much attention to human dental remains Essay

Why do bioacchaeologists pay so much attention to human dental remains - Essay Example It is possible to identify whether the human bone remain is composed of an infant to be present with an adult(s), or an adult alone. (Janaway et al., 2001; 202 – 204) Other detailed information that can be gathered from human bone remains includes the height of an individual and the possible causes of death such as cut-marks, abrasions or surface etching on the bones among others. However, there is a limitation in the study of human bone remains. Bone assembly is not enough to determine the sex information of an individual. (Stini, 1985) Due to the limitations in study the human bone remains, the use of human dentition in personal identification of the victims of violence, accidents, disaster, homicides, suicides, or other unfortunate events such as fire is commonly used and is widely accepted. (Jones, 1998) It is possible to conduct a personal identification of deceased individuals in two ways: (1) by comparing the antemortem (before death) dental records with the human dental remains; and (2) by collecting and recording the postmortem (after death) dental profile which will be used in comparing with the antemortem records. (Sweet and DiZinno, 1996) Postmortem dental profiling enables Bioarchaeologists to stay focused in the search for the antemortem record which normally contains information related to the deceased’s age, ancestry background, sex, and socio-economic status. In some cases, the antemortem record also provides information concerning the deceased’s occupation, habitual behaviours, dietar y habits, and dental or systemic diseases. In line with the importance of studying the importance of human dental remains, this study will identify the importance of dental development in determining the approximate age of an individual; the difference in determining the sex of an individual based on archaeological skeletal and human dental remains; the use of human dental remains in determining