Metrical Features of the Dentition and Arches of Populations from Goroka and Lufa, Papua New Guinea

Document Type

Article

Authors

Gregory A. Doran, University of Tasmania, Tasmania, Australia
Leonard Freedman, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia

Abstract

Dental stone casts were obtained from 36 individuals (32 male, 4 female) from Goroka and 29 individuals (25 male, 4 female) from Lufa in the Eastern Highlands District of Papua New Guinea. All were adult. Odontometric data are presented for all male permanent teeth, along with measurements of arch width, length and palatal vault height. The teeth of the two populations are megadont and, in general, similar to those of other aboriginal populations from Papua New Guinea and Australia. These two samples and those available from other nearby Oceania populations were compared by Penrose’s shape, size and distance statistics. The analysis highlights the markedly smaller dentition of the Nasioi of Bougainville when compared with that of the Goroka, Lufa and Australian Aboriginal populations.

Recommended Citation

Doran, Gregory A. and Freedman, Leonard (1974) "Metrical Features of the Dentition and Arches of Populations from Goroka and Lufa, Papua New Guinea," Human Biology: Vol. 46: Iss. 3, Article 16.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/humbiol/vol46/iss3/16