FREQUENCIES OF ORAL PATHOLOGIES IN A SAMPLE OF 767 NONHUMAN-PRIMATES

In this work 767 skulls of both wild caught and captive non-human prim ates were studied and the following characteristics were analyzed: fre quency of caries and osteolytic phenomena, presence of apical or radic ular cysts, degree of bone atrophy and parodontal tissue alterations, neoplasies, supernumerary teeth, and cusps. Caries and osteolytic phen omena were more frequent in captive animals because of their ''anthrop ic'' diet, while frequency of dental fractures was higher in wild prim ates because of their higher environmental stress. The most frequent p athologies observed in non-human primates were tartar, parodontopathie s, and condylar wear, while caries and osteolytic phenomena were minim al. Condylar wear was very frequent but not very marked and possibly d ue to ''physiological'' responses and not, as in humans, to a force un balance which occurs in masticatory dynamics of the temporomandibular joint.