RADIOGRAPHIC STUDY OF THE BROADBEACH ABORIGINAL DENTITION

This study forms part of a larger anthropological investigation of the Ngaraangbal Aboriginal Tribe's ancestral burial ground at Broadbeach, Australia. It examines the dentition, records the associated patholog y in a noninvasive manner, and relates this to the likely subsistence diet of the tribe. The Broadbeach osteological collection was returned for reburial in 1985; however, radiographic and photographic records of 36 adult males were available. These form the basis of our study. T he pathology noted in the study sample was compared with a representat ive sample (n = 38) of pre-European Aboriginal remains from throughout Queensland for verification purposes only. Rates of dental pathology and injury were calculated from the radiographic and photographic reco rds. There was a significant rate of tooth-wear related intra-bony pat hology (4.0%), moderate to severe alveolar bone loss, and heavy dental attrition, of which the mandibular posterior teeth were the most seve rely affected. Caries prevalence (0.8%) was low for hunter-gatherer po pulations. A large number of molar pulp chambers had a distinctive ''c ruciate'' morphology resulting from the formation of secondary dentine and pulp stones. Injuries and abnormalities included upper central in cisor avulsion (58.3%) and taurodontism. These results support the pro posal that the Ngaraangbal tribe was a hunter-gatherer population subs isting on an abrasive diet that included marine foods. (C) 1998 Wiley- Liss, Inc.