Implications of Physical and Cultural Anthropology in Dentistry

Anthropology is a search, an investigation into what we are now, from where we came and how we got to be the way we are today. To divine the future of man it is necessary to look back into past and search for clues left behind in the sands of time. The study of man and his evolution is not complete and additional knowledge will only help us understand ourselves better. An appreciation of dental variations within and between populations provides the phylogenetic and ontogenetic perspective upon which sound clinical practice should be based.