Dental Traits of Males from Manggarai (Flores)

Dental Traits of Sample from Manggarai (Flores) Myrtati D. Artaria Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia

ABSTRACT • A sample of maxillary dental casts of recent people from Flores were analysed. These dental casts were from Manggarai area (Cibal, Borong, Bajawa, Cancar, Ketang, etc.). They were males, ranging from 14 to 21 years old. The dental traits examined were shovel shape and winging, which is the characteristic of Mongoloid. The observation employed the dental traits reference as shown on Scott and Turner’s (1997). The results showed that 50% of the incisors (upper I1 and I2) examined showed a weak shovelling, and 30% of them did not have any shovelling. Weak winging was found only in 2 (13%) of the individuals.

BACKGROUND • It was suggested that the people of Flores were Protomalayid, not Deuteromalayid • However, the physical appearance of Manggarai people are more like the Deuteromalayid, in other words they may have more Mongoloid blood than those of Protomalayids • Therefore the researcher was interested in observing the dental traits • Do they have the characteristics of Mongoloid teeth?

Dental Impression from Manggarai

Sample • The teeth are one of the aids in identifying missing persons by identifying the race or the subrace of the missing person • Some dental impressions from modern Manggarai (Flores) people were analysed to know their dental traits • The dental traits were identified using standardized dental plaque from Arizona State University

Sample • The dental impression came from Manggarai area such as Cibal, Borong, Bajawa, Cancar, and Ketang. • The sample were males as a preliminary study, before this research is done further • The age of the samples were 14 to 21 years old so that the dental traits could be observed clearly

Variable • The dental traits observed were shovel shape and winging, which is the characteristics of Mongoloid. • The observation employed the dental traits reference as shown on Scott and Turner’s (1997). • The observations were tallied and counted

RESULTS • The results showed that 50% of the incisors (upper I1 and I2) examined showed a weak shovelling • 30% of them did not have any shovelling. • Weak winging was found only in 2 individuals (=13%).

CONCLUSION • Dental traits of sample from Manggarai in this preliminary study did not show much of dental characteristic of the Mongoloids.