Diachronic Comparison of Three Historical Skeletal Series from Croatia with Regard to Mandibular Bone Quality

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the quality of mandibular bone using CBCT images in archeological populations that inhabited Croatia from the medieval to the Early Modern Period. A total of 88 human skulls (45 male and 43 female) from three samples (pre-Ottoman (N = 27), Ottoman (N = 32), and Vlach (N = 29)) were analyzed by using CBCT. The mental index, gonion index, antegonion index, panoramic mandibular index, degree of resorption of the alveolar ridge, and cortical index of the mandible were evaluated using the OnDemand3DApp. The results showed an expected higher value of cortex thickness in males when compared to females. Females in the younger groups had higher values of cortical thickness than those in the older age group. The Ottoman sample had significantly lower values of mandibular indices than the other two samples. There were no age-related differences in bone thickness in males, suggesting that hormonal changes have a stronger influence in females. Lower values of mandibular indices in the Ottoman sample may be an indicator of specific factors that influenced this population. Our study of bone changes in archeological populations with different living conditions may contribute to a better understanding of impact of biocultural factors on physiological and pathological processes, which are extremely complex in bone tissue.