STUDY ON TOOTH MORPHOLOGICAL VARIATIONS AMONG VARIOUS ETHNIC GROUPS OF PAKISTAN

Abstract

The aim of the study was to elucidate the prevalence of some accessory dental morphological traits variations in permanent teeth of population belonging to Swati, Gujar and Jadoon ethnic groups. The study sample was 300 subjects (100 of each group) volunteer students both male and females aged 12-21 taken in different schools of targeted areas having specifically Swati, Gujar and Jadoon residents. The study period was from july-janvary 2010. The prepared dental plaster casts were examined for morphological variations such as shoveling, bushman canine, distal accessory ridge and cusp of Carabelli. These traits were analyzed through Arizona state university tooth morphology system. The occurrence rate of each morphological trait was calculated as percentage of total sample size. In results the cusp of Carabelli exhibited maximum expression in Swati group while in Swati and Gujars more shoveling was observed as compared to Jadoons however the Bushmen canine was totally absent in these groups. The dentist should be aware of these dental morphological variations because in actual life the teeth morphology expresses more variations than in textbooks.