A study of the modes of occlusion of permanent teeth among Australian Aborigines was conducted at the University of Adelaide Faculty of Dentistry. From 1951 to 1971, 1,708 intra-oral plaster molds were taken at longitudinal changes from 444 Aborigines leading a traditional lifestyle in Northern Australia. Comparisons and analyses then were made with molds of modern Japanese. 1)
In contrast to previous reports, occlusion among Aborigines was found to be characterized by a mixture of psalidodontia (approximately 55%), deep overbite (approximately 30%), and labidodontia, and in general this was similar to that of modern Japanese.
2)
Labidodontia was found in a mere 6.3% of Aborigines and it is believed that previous occlusal studies failed to distinguish labidodontia from typical attritional occlusion among Aborigines.
3)
The mode of occlusion in the eruption of permanent incisors was maintained at approximately 60% of Aborigines, whereas in approximately 40% the mode of occlusion underwent acquired changes by the time the Aborigine reached adulthood. This change or unchangeability over the years in modes of occlusion has a clinical significance, especially for diagnosis of the necessity for orthodontic treatment of permanent teeth and for the selection of therapeutic methods to be used. In this sense, the subject still leaves much room for further research and it is worthwhile examining it more closely