Linear Enamel Hypoplasia And Its Relation To Socioeconomic Class In The 19th Century United States

Linear hypoplasia of the dental enamel has long been used as an indicator of physical stress during the tooth year of formation. Enamel hypoplasia present in adult teeth can indicate that the individual experienced growth disturbances during childhood to late adolescence. Through the use of human remains of known origin, age, sex, and socioeconomic background, one can compare childhood stressors according to difference of demographic grouping. This study examines the frequencies of growth disruptions among ethnic and socioeconomic groups of the United States throughout the 20th century. If there are differences in frequencies, do we see this difference increase or diminish in more recent samples? Does ethnicity and social status have physical effects on human development within the same population? I expect to find that more disadvantaged socioeconomic and demographic groups within a population are more likely to exhibit enamel defects as a result of higher stress. I also expect to see a decrease in the frequencies of these defects in more recent populations as socioeconomic differences diminish