Variation in dental crown size within and between populations living on the Malaysian Peninsula
This study, based on 518 sets of dental models of secondary school children and adults from Kelantan and Perak State, aimed to characterize normal odontometric variation within and between Malaysian populations. The sample included the four main ethnic groups living on the Malaysian Peninsula; Malays, Chinese, Indians and Jahai. Mesiodistal and buccolingual crown dimensions of all permanent teeth, except third molars, were measured to an accuracy of 0.01mm with automatic digital callipers. Tooth size was larger in males than females for more than 75% of the variables in Malays, Chinese and Indians. The magnitude of sexual dimorphism in buccolingual diameters tended to be greater than for mesiodistal diameters in all groups studied. Our findings confirm that there is considerable variation within and between Malaysian populations in permanent tooth size and this variability needs to be taken into consideration when undertaking anthropological and forensic investigations.