Differential Diagnosis of an Unidentified Skeletal Anomaly: a Case Study of Mandibular Resorption from the Smith Creek Site, Mississippi

Summary

The Smith Creek Site (22WK526), located in Wilkinson County, Mississippi, is principally a Coles Creek Period site (AD 700-1400). Human remains were recovered from this site in the 1960s by avocational archaeologists. Although the Smith Creek human remains are fragmentary and commingled, and the records related to their collection are nonexistent, these remains still present a significant data source for this region and time period. Of particular interest is an isolated adult mandible that exhibits an unidentified anomaly. This anomaly, predominantly characterized by resorption, is located on the buccal surface of the mandibular body near the second molar, and is unilateral. A review of the current clinical and archaeological literature resulted in no similar examples of this skeletal anomaly reported. A differential diagnosis performed suggests that the resulting lytic pitting may be due to soft tissue involvement such as possible circulatory disorders or musculoskeletal involvement. A discussion of the potential causes of the pathology, including a summary of the observed pathologies in the collection, serves as comparative material for the analysis of the resorption.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

Keywords

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