An analysis of the Carabelli trait in the mixed deciduous and permanent human dentition.
Permanent first and deciduous second maxillary molars were examined on dental casts of 240 persons. A high degree of equivalence of Carabelli-trait expression between deciduous and permanent molars was demonstrated using the Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test and chi-square tests. Kolmogorov-Smirnov two-sample tests confirmed a lack of sex dimorphism of trait incidence and expression in permanent and deciduous molars. It is hypothesized that the high degree of within-individual equivalence suggests a low epigenetic and high genetic influence on Carabelli-trait expression and that the findings support the clonal rather than the field theory of tooth morphogenesis.
D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008963:Molar / Q000002:abnormalities*; D009024:Morphogenesis; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013019:South Africa; D014094:Tooth, Deciduous / Q000002:abnormalities*; D044465:White People