Dentofacial growth and development in Homo sapiens: evidence from perinatal individuals from Punic Carthage.

Study of perinatal individuals from 7-4th c. B.C. Punic Carthage and specimens from more recent sources elucidates: 1. variability in the formation of the infraorbital foramen; 2. the nature of, and variability in, the expression of the incisive suture. With regard to the latter, and in conjunction with data on the embryological formation of the upper jaw and dentition, the following generalization appears warranted in Homo sapiens. The incisors and canine may come to erupt in the alveolar bone associated with the premaxillary region. Combination of these data with those on the timing of tooth germ development and their forward migration yields an explanation of the dental anomalies associated with anterior facial cleft and a prediction of when this disorder occurs.