Document Type
Article
Abstract
Existing research supports both embodiment of stress through epigenetics and epigenetic impacts on dental development. This article proposes two models for embodiment of stress in dental development: the stress-delay model, with increased stress during development producing delays in dental development, and the inflammation-acceleration model, with increased stress producing faster dental development through inflammatory pathways. These models were tested on dental development scores from the New Mexico Decedent Image Database, using (a) nonaccidental death (homicide, suicide, and natural) as proxy for elevated stress exposure during life and (b) cadaver body mass index (BMI) percentile as proxy for living BMI. Sex was treated as a positive control because typically dental development is faster in females than in males. Nonaccidental death and male sex were both associated with slower dental development; however, manner of death was significant only for 7 of 32 (22%) of teeth. Mean BMI percentile was highest for natural death and lowest for homicide. These findings support the stress-delay model and accord with existing studies that found limited evidence that embodied effects on dental development are sufficiently large to affect estimates of age.
Recommended Citation
Sgheiza, Valerie
(2023)
"Evidence and Mechanisms of Embodiment in the Developing Dentition,"
Human Biology:
Vol. 95:
Iss.
1, Article 3.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/humbiol/vol95/iss1/3
Figure 1 hi res
Figure 2.tiff (14241 kB)
Figure 2 hi res
HB paper R2.docx (54 kB)
main text
HB response R2.docx (16 kB)
response to reviewers
