Development prediction of sagittal itermaxillary relations in patients with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate during puberty

The main objective was to find a predictive model for the development of the jaw in patients with the most frequent facial cleft malformation, i.e. complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLPc) by means of multivariate methods. This prediction is urgently needed from the clinical aspect. It will make it possible to provide early detection for patients at risk of adverse development. The study is based on a long-term X-ray cephalometric follow-up of 73 boys with UCLPc during puberty. Prediction was performed by methods of multiple regression and regression partitioning trees. The best equation predicts the intermaxillary relations at 15 years of age with high reliability (determination coefficient R2 = 0.822). The model was successfully verified statistically. In clinical practice, we suggest the use of a simple method of regression partitioning trees where the measurement of only 1 to 4 dimensions in a ten-year-old patient would suffice to achieve a reliable reading of the ANB angle at 15 years of age from a tree diagram

A geometric approach to cranial sexual dimorphism in the upper palaeolithic skulls from Predmosti (Upper Palaeolithic, Czech Republic)

The recently rediscovered glass plate negatives of unique skeletal fossil material from Předmostí – their estimated ranges from 25–27 000 years but they were destroyed during World War II – were studied by means of geometric morphometrics. The aim of this study was to determine the sexual shape variability of the best preserved skulls of adult individuals, using the methods of statistical shape analysis. While the results roughly support Matiegka’s sex estimation, skull 1 (Matiegka’s female) is more similar to males. The differences between the skulls of the Předmostí specimens are “more striking” in the lateral, frontal and vertical views, whereas the inter-sexual differences affect the non-affine parts of changes in vertical, lateral and basal views in particular. The areas of the metopion, glabella, auriculare, porion, asterion, gnathion and opisthocranion landmarks present more striking variations, i.e. those with more discriminatory power. According to the computations made of the various skull distances, the male skulls are more similar to each other and the female skulls less similar. This suggests possible patrilocal behaviour on the part of the males

Analysis of facial skeleton shape in patients with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate: geometric morphometry

The study is based on a longitudinal cephalometric follow-up of X-ray films of patients with a complete unilateral cleft lip and palate during puberty. Carthesian x, y coordinates of the total of 22 landmarks on the lateral films of 25 patients with the same diagnosis and therapy were established, which served as outcome data for shape analysis. The changes in facial shape experienced by patients between their 10th and 15th year were evaluated by the thin-plate splines (TPS) method. We used the TPS method to find a function which transforms the shape of the face at the age of 10 as well as the square TPS grid into the facial shape at the age of 15 years with the deformed TPS grid. With the help of Geometric PCA for Bookstein's coordinates we found individuals with different shapes who develop abnormally during puberty and whose development is not well predictable. During puberty the face becomes relatively elongated. The most pronounced deformation is caused by the shift of the first permanent molar anteriorly, or a relative shortening of the frontal part of the dental arch. In the anterior direction the position of landmarks changed only in the area of nose; the alveolar process shows retrusion. The position of the mandible in relation to the maxilla change mainly in the inferior direction; the mandibular angle shifts posteriorly. The shape of skeletal profile was compared with a group of patients with the same diagnosis who underwent different therapy

Variability of the Upper Palaeolithic skulls from Predmostí near Prerov (Czech Republic): craniometric comparison with recent human standards

One of the largest skeletal series of the Upper Palaeolithic period from Predmosti was destroyed during the Second World War, but the study of this material continues up to the present. The discovery of Matiegka’s original photographic documentation on glass plates [Velemınska et al., 2004. The use of recently re-discovered glass plate photo-documentation of those human fossil finds from Predmosti u Prerova destroyed during World War II. J. Nat. Mus. Nat. Hist. Ser. 173, 129–132] gives an opportunity to perform a new and detailed craniometric analysis of five adult skulls in their lateral projection. The craniometric data were analysed using specialised Craniometrics software, and the analysis included morphological and dimensional comparisons with current Central European norms. The aim of the study was not only to monitor the skull shape as a whole, but predominantly, to evaluate the size and shape of various parts of the splanchnocranium. The Upper Palaeolithic skulls are significantly longer, and male skulls are also higher than the current norms. The crania of anatomically modern humans are characterised by two general structural features: mid-lower facial retraction and neurocranial globularity. The height of the face of the Palaeolithic skulls corresponds to that of the current Central European population. The face has a markedly longer mandibular body (3–4 SD), while female mandibular rami are shorter. The skulls are further characterised by a smaller gonial angle, the increased steepness of the mandibular ramus, and the greater angle of the chin. These changes in the size and shape associated with anterior rotation of the face produce a strong protrusion of both jaws, but the sagittal inter-maxillary relationships remain unchanged. The observed facial morphology is similar to the Czech Upper Palaeolithic skulls from Dolni Vestonice. This study confirms the main diachronic changes between skulls of Upper Palaeolithic and present-day human populations

Age-related variability in buccal dental-microwear in Middle and Upper Pleistocene human populations

Infants are thought to present a different buccal microwear pattern than adults and these, therefore, are generally analyzed separately. However, El-Zaatari & Hublin [2009] showed that occlusal texture in Neandertal and modern human juvenile populations did not differ from their elders. The microwear patterns of a sample of 193 teeth, corresponding to 61 individuals of Homo heidelbergensis, H. neanderthalensis and anatomically modern humans (AMH), were analyzed revealing that AMH infants up to 14 years old differ from older individuals in having fewer scratch densities, whereas the Neandertals have a much more variable microwear pattern. Age-at-death and dental age since emergence showed similar though somewhat diverging results, especially in the infant and subadult samples. Differences observed between the Neandertals and modern humans could be reflecting differential wearing patterns or distinct enamel structure and resistance to hard food items consumption. Interpopulation differences in striation densities were not apparent in either subadult or adult individuals, only adult Neandertals (26-45 yrs. old) showed fewer striations than the younger age groups. The AMH sample revealed a gradual cumulative pattern of striation density with age, suggestive of a non-abrupt change in diet.This research was funded by a predoctoral fellowship (BP, AP2006-01274) and a research grant (APP-CGL2007-60802/BTE), both of the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación of the Spanish Government