Crown dimensions of the mandibular molars in two ethnic groups in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Crown dimensions of the mandibular permanent first and second molars (M1 and M2) were measured and compared between contemporary Sri Lankan Tamil and Sinhalese males. Sixty dental plaster casts (30 Sinhalese and 30 Tamil) obtained from university students in Kandy, Sri Lanka, were studied. The crown dimensions investigated were mesiodistal and buccolingual crown diameters, mesiodistal diameters of the trigonid and talonid, and buccolingual diameters of the trigonid and talonid. The results suggest that the Sri Lankan Sinhalese are characterized by smaller mandibular molar crown dimensions and more advanced molar reduction than the Sri Lankan Tamils, and that such size variation and dental reduction are manifested most strongly in the later developing talonid component of the M2. © 2005 The Anthropological Society of Nippon.