Iztok Štamfelj
Tooth mass has been little used in anthropology and clinical dentistry, and to date there are no studies investigating its relationship to dental arches, tooth types, and sides. The aim of this study was to investigate the pattern of tooth mass variability in the permanent dentition. A sample of 627 dry permanent teeth without signs of dental treatment, pathologic lesions, hypercementosis, developmental malformations, and advanced wear was selected from the tooth collection of a dental school in Slovenia. Each tooth was weighed on a digital scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and analysis of variance. The mean tooth masses were comparable to those previously reported for a small number of European countries. The main effects of dental arch and tooth type were statistically significant (p < 0.001). The coefficient of variation showed an increasing tendency towards the more distal teeth in each class, with deviations in the lower incisors and upper molars. This pattern is mainly in agreement with predictions based on the concept of morphogenetic fields as described for permanent teeth. The results could prove useful in physical/forensic anthropologic investigations and as an aid in planning regenerative oral surgery procedures using autologous graft material from extracted teeth.