

The aim of the present study was to investigate the possibility of estimating crown formation times of immature deciduous teeth and age at death in Neolithic newborns. In the Neolithic-Mesolithic transition, the health of the population deteriorated. Leaving the intrauterine environment for the newborn is the first obstacle in the process of adaptation and survival in the outside world. The fetus is protected by the mother's immune system and receives the necessary nutrients through the umbilical cord, but external factors indirectly affect its development. At birth deciduous teeth are not fully formed and are only partially mineralized. Variations in the rhythmic activity of ameloblasts and the secretion of the enamel matrix lead to the formation of incremental lines in the enamel. The sample consisted of unerupted deciduous teeth removed from the baby jaws from Neolithic archaeological graves, LepenskiVir Serbia. The skeletal age of the babies was from 38 to 40 gestational weeks. The daily enamel apposition rate was obtained for each tooth. The age of individuals was estimated using crown formation time. The average value of daily secretion rates for the primary teeth from the Neolithic age was 3.78 µm.There was no statistically significant difference in age at death determined by skeletal age assessment and crown formation time. Three babies were born preterm. The results of the present study show that the calculation of the time required for the formation of deciduous tooth enamel is applicable to archaeological samples of newborns.The age estimation using crown formation time together with the analysis of other anthropological parameters, can contribute to a more accurate determination of neonatal death in anthropological, archaeological and forensic contexts. © 2021, Universidad de la Frontera. All rights reserved.
| EMTREE medical terms: | ameloblastanthropologyarcheologyArticlebone agebone age determinationdeciduous toothenamelgestational agehistologyhumanhuman experimenthuman tissuemicroscopyNeolithicnewbornnewborn deathphotographyprematuritytooth developmentunerupted tooth |
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Device manufacturer:
Leica Biosystems
| Funding sponsor | Funding number | Acronym |
|---|---|---|
| III 47001 | ||
| Horizon 2020 Framework Programme See opportunities by H2020 | 640557 | H2020 |
| 47001 |
1 University of Novi Sad , Faculty of Medicine Novi Sad, Department of Dentistry, HajdukVeljkova 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Republic of Serbia. 2University of Belgrade, Faculty of Philosophy, CikaLjubina 18-20, 11000 Belgrade, Republic of Serbia. 3 University of Novi Sad Faculty of Technical Sciences Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovica 6, Republic of Serbia 4University of Novi Sad , BiosenseInstitut, Novi Sad,DrZoranaDjindjica 1, Republic of Serbia. 5University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Medicine Novi Sad, HajdukVeljkova 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Republic of Serbia. This work was supported by H2020 ERC project BIRTH No. 640557 and Serbian national project III 47001.
Sipovac, M.; University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Medicine Novi Sad, Department of Dentistry, HajdukVeljkova 3, Novi Sad, Serbia;
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