Dental evidence of biological affinity and environmental conditions in prehistoric Trentino (Italy) samples from the Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age

The use of teeth in anthropological analyses has always provided valuable i nformation on the subsistence patterns of human communities, as well as the biological relationships among them. The present study analyses the perman ent dentition of several diachronically continuing samples from the Trentin o alpine region of Italy from the Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age. The st udy of both metric and non-metric dental traits show a strong level of homo geneity from the earlier to the later samples, indicating little external b iological influence from surrounding areas. However, the evidence of oral p athology and linear enamel hypoplasia highlights a trend of increase in def ects, particularly between the Neolithic and the Copper Age. This has been ascribed to a shift towards more intense agricultural activities and pastor alism, that led to a change in diet and to an increased sedentism.