title: Combining radiographic and histological data for dental development to compare growth in the past and the present.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Being able to estimate the age at death of fossil hominins enables meaningful comparisons of both dental and general growth, past and present.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to use data for modern permanent canine formation derived from separate histological and radiographic studies to estimate the age at death of an early African Homo erectus specimen (KNM-WT 15 000) with a developing permanent maxillary canine.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ground sections of 18 sexed modern human canines were used to reconstruct growth in tooth height along the enamel-dentine junction (EDJ) and onwards into root formation along the cement-dentine junction (CDJ). Daily rates of enamel and dentine formation were used to put a time scale to cumulative fractions of tooth height.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Age estimates for KNM-WT 15 000 averaged 7.89-8.8 years of age (range = 6.6-10.3 years) and were close to previous histological estimates for this individual (7.6-8.8 years).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Stages of dental development in KNM-WT 15 000 were easily accommodated within this age distribution of a modern sample. However, body mass and stature estimates for KNM-WT 15 000 fell well beyond those reported for a modern sample of 438 Sudanese children aged between 7.0-10 years.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, UCL , London , UK .
authors.forename: M Christopher
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Dean
authors.forename: Helen M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Liversidge
authors.forename: Fadil
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Elamin
mesh_terms: D000366:Age Determination by Teeth / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D001106:Archaeology; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003481:Cuspid / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000254:growth & development*; D005260:Female; D005580:Fossils / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D015186:Hominidae / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development*; D006801:Humans; D007630:Kenya; D008297:Male
keywords: Canines; Homo erectus; dental development; dentine; enamel; hominin; radiography