Investigating the implications of localised hypoplasia of the primary canine in the context of the developmental origins of health and disease hypothesis

Abstract

The relationship between localised hypoplasia of the primary canine (LHPC) lesions and mortality remains relatively unexplored by bioarchaeologists in the context of the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) hypothesis. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate LHPC, a lesion that forms well within the period relevant to the DOHaD hypothesis, as a potential stress marker to be assessed within the framework of the hypothesis. When LHPC presence was examined in relation to mortality in a late prehistoric Thai sample, LHPC lesions did not appear to have had a significant impact on survivorship. However, subsequent tests revealed that the impact of LHPC on subadult mortality in late prehistoric Thailand was likely guided by the prevalence of LHPC at a site. The findings of our study suggest that the relationship between LHPC, physiological stress and mortality was complex and context dependent in late prehistoric Southeast Asia.