Comparative Dental Anatomy
Comparative anatomy studies differences between human and non-human animal anatomies, and between different humans. Comparative dental anatomy focuses on distinctions between the teeth of different humans, and the teeth of humans and non-humans.
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Histories
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The study of comparative anatomy dates back to Edward Tyson, a British physician who lived from 1650 to 1708. The study of comparative dental anatomy was first formalized in the book "A Manual of Dental Anatomy Human and Comparative," by Sir Charles Tomes in 1882.
Anthropology
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Comparative anatomy was first pursued to answer some questions about evolutionary adaptation raised by physical anthropologists. Anthropologists still make frequent use of comparative dental anatomy in their work.
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Homologous and Analogous
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Comparative dental anatomy uses two different but related categories in the analysis of teeth: homologous structures and analogous structures. Homologous means structures that are similar and assumed to be of common descent, like the teeth of a chimpanzee and those of a human. Analogous means structures that were shaped by similar environmental demands, like the sharp teeth of various carnivores with no common descent.
Disaster Identification
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Comparative dental anatomy is also used now in post-disaster identification of remains. Major disasters, especially earthquakes, floods and fires, leave remains mixed together, human with human, and animals with human; and the distinctions of comparative dental anatomy are employed along with DNA testing.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit False teeth image by Jevgenijs Kosarevs from Fotolia.com
