HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Lauc, T Articles by Campbell, H Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Lauc, T Articles by Campbell, H

Effect of inbreeding and endogamy on occlusal traits in human isolates

T Lauc¹, P Rudan¹, I Rudan^*, and H Campbell

¹ Institute for Anthropological Research, Zagreb, Croatia
^* University Medical School, Zagreb, Croatia, and
University of Edinburgh Medical School, Edinburgh, UK

Tomislav Lauc, Institute for Anthropological Research, Amruseva 8, 10,000 Zagreb, Croatia. Email: tom{at}luka.inantro.hr

Objective: To discuss the genetic basis of occlusal traits through analysis of the effects of inbreeding in a subdivided isolated community.

Subjects and methods: The sample comprised dental casts of 224 children, aged 7–14 years, from 15 villages of the Island of Hvar, Croatia.

Main outcome measures: Studied traits were Angle class, overjet, vertical bite, overbite, and crowding/spacing.

Design: Children with complete grandparental endogamy (all four grandparents born in the village of residence of the examinee) were compared to children with incomplete grandparental endogamy. In addition, children resident in the group of villages with a high prevalence of inbreeding were compared to children resident in the groups of villages with moderate and low prevalence of inbreeding.

Results: In both designs, inbreeding seemed to increase the mean values of overjet, overbite, and vertical bite, while it had little or no effect on crowding/spacing. Angle classes were correlated to inbreeding at the individual level, but this was not supported at the population level. The effects were stronger in the subsample with bilaterally concordant Angle classes.

Conclusion: The observed inbreeding effects imply that the genetic basis of some occlusal traits is polygenic and, in considerable part, influenced by rare and recessive genetic variants.

Key words: Endogamy, genetics, inbreeding, isolate populations, occlusal traits, overbite, overjet

This article has been cited by other articles:

				N. Shpack, S. Einy, L. Beni, and A. D. Vardimon Assessment of open and incomplete bite correction by incisor overlap and optical density of polyvinyl siloxane bite registration Eur J Orthod, April 1, 2006; 28(2): 166 - 172. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]