Premaxillary suture in early polynesians

The patency of the premaxillary suture in adult humans remains controversial. Here we report on the extent and shape of the suture in 51 precontact New Zealand Maori adults (21 males, 30 females). When data were combined for both sides and also for full or more than half patency, males showed a prev...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of osteoarchaeology 1999-07, Vol.9 (4), p.244-247
Main Authors: Kieser, J.A., Dennison, K.J., Dias, G.R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Maori
premaxilla
premaxillary suture
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Summary:The patency of the premaxillary suture in adult humans remains controversial. Here we report on the extent and shape of the suture in 51 precontact New Zealand Maori adults (21 males, 30 females). When data were combined for both sides and also for full or more than half patency, males showed a prevalence of 44.2% and females of 33.5%. Females were found to have significantly more sinusoidal rather than V‐shaped forms. We hypothesize that the retention of the premaxillary suture into adulthood may be a neotenic feature which has allowed the Maori to achieve their uniquely large phenotype. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ISSN:1047-482X
1099-1212
DOI:10.1002/(SICI)1099-1212(199907/08)9:4<244::AID-OA478>3.0.CO;2-I