title: Using elliptical best fits to characterize dental shapes.
abstract: A variety of geometric morphometric methods have recently been used to describe dental shape variation in human evolutionary studies. However, the applicability of these methods is limited when teeth are worn or are difficult to orient accurately. Here we show that elliptical best fits on outlines of dental tissues below the crown provide basic size- and orientation-free shape descriptors. Using the dm(2) and M(3) as examples, we demonstrate that these descriptors can be used for taxonomic purposes, such as distinguishing between Neanderthal and recent modern human teeth. We propose that this approach can be a useful alternative to existing methodology.
authors.affiliation: Paleoanthropology, Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Paleoecology, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Rümelinstrasse 23, Tübingen, 72070, Germany.
authors.forename: Catherine C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.affiliation: Minerology and Geodynamics, Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Wilhelmstrasse 56, Tübingen, 72074, Germany.
authors.forename: Paul D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Bons
authors.affiliation: Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, via Degli Ariani 1, Ravenna, 48121, Italy.|Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig, D-04103, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Benazzi
authors.affiliation: Paleoanthropology, Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Paleoecology, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Rümelinstrasse 23, Tübingen, 72070, Germany.
authors.forename: Katerina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Harvati
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000885:Anthropology, Physical; D005580:Fossils; D006801:Humans; D059125:Neanderthals / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D009811:Odontometry / Q000379:methods*; D010161:Paleodontology / Q000379:methods*; D019228:Tooth Crown / Q000033:anatomy & histology*
keywords: Homo neanderthalensis; Homo sapiens; dental morphology; geometric morphometrics