Dental morphology of fossil Homo sapiens

Abstract

The definition of the “modern dental complex” for fossil Homo sapiens includes: (1) traits that may be unique to H. sapiens, such as the full absence of shovel shape and/or labial convexity, winging, round lower premolars without accessory cusps and specific groove patterns; (2) traits that, with some exceptions, are only found in H. sapiens, such as three-cusped and four-cusped upper and lower molars, respectively; and (3) traits that are not usually found in modern humans, such as cingulum-like Carabelli and protostylid forms and high middle trigonid crests. While the general morphology of Late Pleistocene Homo sapiens can be framed in the variability of contemporary modern groups, “fossil Homo sapiens” often display primitive retentions that are mostly lost in recent groups, such as higher degrees of incisor labial convexity, vestigial labial and buccal cingular derivatives in the anterior teeth, more robust root systems, and more complex occlusal surfaces in posterior teeth. Here we present examples that illustrate the variability of Crown and root morphology in fossil versus contemporaneous modern human teeth.